German Reaction
There is one thing that the Germans who rioted on Monday against dismantling operations at the Watenstedt-Salzgitter works do not seem to have realised, and that is that there can be no compromise with this kind of action. It must be stopped if it takes twenty years to do it. When, despite every possible concession on the part of the allied authorities, rioters come together to smash and burn the property of the dismantling authority, and when the German police stand by and let it happen, there can be only one answer. Much as the Western Powers would like to reduce their forces in Germany, they must, in the face of this manifestation of the arrogant spirit which led the Germans to make two world wars, close their ranks and make up their minds to keep order. The really shocking thing about the outburst of complaint and recrimina- tion which accompanied the recent visit of M. Schuman to Bonn to discuss the Franco-German relations was that the way was led by Federal German Ministers. To this sin of commission must be added a sin of omission for there is no evidence that the Federal or Land authorities have do,ne anything effective to forestall or to cope with the latest outbreak. This means that not only the rioters themselves but the authorities which should have been con- trolling them have made a mistake. The allied policy is to ensure that responsibility is only transferred to the Germans when there is an assurance that they will not abuse it. If they begin to abuse it so early in the day, then the whole Western attitude may have to change and the tempo of transference be slowed down.
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