NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE American Chiefs of Staff having come and gone, the American Arms Bill having been put into a shape in which it could pass Congress, and a number of European service chiefs (and notably the French) having delivered themselves of their views on defence organisation, it is perhaps time to make definite decisions. So far the framework is somewhat ill-defined. General Bradley, it is true, has repeated his opinion that, in the Atlantic defence plan, strategic bombing would be the first task of the United States, with the European countries taking the first shock on land and joining in naval defence moves ; and since he has been supported first by Admiral Denfeld and then by Mr. Acheson, this outline plan must be assumed to be official. But it is only an outline, it is an American proposal on a question vitally affecting several other countries, and it takes no account of defence requirements outside the North Atlantic area. Consequently it cannot be regarded as final until there have been some further discussions.
The terms of the Arms Bill are being defined, but much remains to be done before the countries of Europe know exactly what aid they will get and when they will get it. As to the Atlantic Pact itself, it is still not ratified by all the countries concerned, and although that formality should soon be completed, the Atlantic Council provided for in the Pact will probably not meet until next month, and the defence committee envisaged in the crucial Article 9 cannot be set up until after that. In the circumstances it is surprising that the American Chiefs of Staff, who were very careful to point out that they discussed no strategic plans during their visit, went, so far as to forecast that the new defence organisation would be ready by the end of the year. This is a case in which form can hardly be divorced from content, for if, as General Revers, the French Chief of Staff, has indicated, France accepts the rdle of chief defender on land, then France will certainly require a seat on any inner council of defence within the Atlantic Pact. The statement by General Bradley on Wednesday that most of the arms provided would go to the French land forces will be of little comfort to France unless she has a large say in the plans for using these arms. More- over, it is difficult to envisage a strategic plan of static defence without some kind of regional grouping of the defenders. The questions are becoming clear. It is essential that the answers should be both clear ind prompt.
