Bonn to Strasbourg
Dr. Adenauer had less difficulty in persuading the Bundestag to accept the invitation to join the Council of Europe than at one time seemed likely. For this he has to thank the Schuman plan, which has intervened since the invitation was first issued, and which has persuaded many Germans that the role they are being asked to play in Western Europe is one of real equality and not of subordination. The Social Democrats retain their theoretical objections to the Council of Europe, largely because they believe that Western Germany could have set a higher price on her accept- ance of the invitation, using the Saar and participation in the Committee of Ministers as bargaining-points ; but in this they mistook the scope and intention of the invitation. Dr. Adenauer is clearly right in maintaining that the present prevalent temper is one which offers great prospects for a genuine settlement between France and Germany, and that such a settlement, without which, of course, a united Europe would be impossible, demands trust and sacrifices on both sides. The Chancellor went too far when hk spoke of the political purpose of the Schuman plan as being the creation of a federated Europe. The word federation is frequently used with only a very hazy idea of its implications, and if a true federation ever does materialise in the future, the Schuman .plan will be only one of the many preliminary stages that will have to be gone through. Linking up the Council of Europe and the Schuman plan with federation is only paving the way for disappointments.
