A Crisis in the Alliance
The result of the six days anguished debate on foreign policy through which the French Assembly has struggled will not be known until Friday's vote of confidence. Nor is it by any means certain at the time this is written whether the Government will continue to totter in office beyond Friday. What is known is the temper of the National Assembly. And the National Assembly has certainly not revealed a majority in favour of French participation in a military community with Germany. However the vote goes on Friday, it will give M. Laniel clear support for nothing except the view that certain conditions must be fulfilled before France can consider ratification of the treaty. The rearmament of Germany is agreed to be essential for the defence of Europe,—" Our military chiefs," said M. Bidault. " do not think it is possible to assure the security of the Central European sector on any other basis." It is equally agreed that Germany should be rearmed with safeguards against the militarism which a sovereign Ger- man army could exercise, and that those safeguards do not exist in NATO as it is at present constituted. Yet among the many conditions that the many French parties have demanded two still stand out : that France shall not be left to face Germany alone, and that Britain shall formally acknow- ledge the depth of her real commitment on the continent. Sir Winston may argue that the new protocol, negotiated between Britain and the EDC, provides for such close liaison that no further commitment would make any difference. If this is true, then there is no good reason why Britain should not take the emotional step of acknowledging the military reality. If it is not true, then there is at least the shadow of an excuse for French hesitations.
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