A Soviet Offer
The new Russian Note on a peace treaty with Germany is in some respects a surprising document. It is surprising, in the first place, that when Russia has made so relatively simple a matter as a peace treaty with Austria impossible for six years and more she should suddenly find a peace treaty with Germany (a Germany bounded in the east by the Oder-Neisse line) quite practicable. It is surprising that when she has con- sistently thundered against any form of remilitarisation of Germany she should now propose to permit Germany a national army, navy and air force. It is surprising that she does not recognise that a treaty can only be made with a Germany already reunited after completely free elections; Eastern Germany has declined to have anything to do with the United Nations Commission appointed to discover whether conditions admitting of genuinely free elections exist through- out Germany. This does not mean that the Russian Note should not be seriously considered by the Western Allies. It should be, and no doubt will be. It should be met with a reasoned reply, leaving the door fully open for further dis- cussion if Russia so desires. The reply will need careful draft- ing, for Russia is clearly endeavouring to turn to good purpose the general desire in both east and west Germany for unity. Her main object, no doubt, is to detadh Western Germany from the European Defence Community. The present German Government is extremely unlikely to give way on that, and the results of last Sunday's Land election in South West Ger- many indicate that Dr. Adenauer can safely afford to stand firm. German unity can best result from a peace treaty with Western Germany.
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