THE REPLY TO RUSSIA
What Russia " is demanding, and what every German is satisfied that she is demanding, is the neutralisation of all Germany as the price of the reunion of Eastern with Western Germany. It is not Western Germany that has to return the answer to Russia; the Soviet Note was addressed not to her but to the Western Allies, but they will quite certainly take her into full consultation, as they did before replying to the first Soviet Note. And it is equally certain that the majority of Germans think the price too high to pay. It is a hard choice. The fate of eighteen million East Germans is at stake, but the conviction prevails that a neutralised Germany—for the con- cession of the right to maintain a national army would give her no hope of being able to resist a Russian attack—would mean the creation of a vacuum into which Russia could step at any moment. It is believed further that if Germany her- self were ready to accept that situation, thus withholding co-operation in the defence of Western Europe, the United States would wash her .hands of Western Europe altogether and retire into isolation behind the Atlantic. And Western Europe without American aid is not defensible.
It remains to be discovered holy far Russia in framing her first Note was genuinely seeking some settlement. That question must not be prejudged. It should be the business 'of the Allies' new Note to probe it, and Mr. Eden has made it clear that that is the intention. But the general assumption is that Russia's purpose is to avert the integration of Western Germany in Western Europe till it has actually taken place. If that is in fact her purpose it must be thwarted. There can be no delay in carrying the E.D.C. treaty through its final stages. There is indeed every hope that it will be initialled by Germany and the other contracting States before the end of May. That will create a new situation, and new discussions may develop in the light of it. There must be no closing of any door by the Allies either now or then, but the definite establishment of the European Defence Community cannot be postponed on any ground, even though it means that as a consequence the reunion of Germany inevitably will be.
