Word: lisbon
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This is the background against which Secretary Acheson last week reported "giant strides" of progress at the Lisbon NATO conference. Such progress reports are familiar milestones of the last five years. They are true, in a way. The free world does move, but the question is whether that movement amounts to anything when measured by 1) the cost of the U.S. effort and 2) the progress of the enemy. Thus measured, the U.S. is taking "giant strides" north on a train that is moving south...
Exaggerated prophecies of gloom had surrounded Dean Acheson's departure for the London and Lisbon parleys. Last week, reporting on his trip over a radio-TV hookup, Acheson countered with an exaggerated picture of sunlight and good cheer. Said he: "The past two weeks have been a time of historic decision . . . They have brought us to the dawn of a new day in Europe." Acheson based his claim on "five major accomplishments" of the London and Lisbon meetings...
What Is a Division? "First," said Acheson, "agreement was reached on the forces to be made available to General Eisenhower's NATO command . . ." He was referring to the Lisbon decision that "approximately 50 divisions" for Western defense would be in existence by the end of 1952. This figure is strictly a statistic. Of the 50 divisions, only about 25 will be combat-ready and in Europe. The others are mere skeletons of reserve divisions. They are not to be mobilized until war begins, and then many of them are expected to come from Britain...
What is a division? To Eisenhower, it is a unit as strong as the U.S. divisions that he debarked on Dday, 1944. To the Lisbon planners, a division is only 75% of that strength. According to Eisenhower's figures, Lisbon actually agreed to only 40 divisions...
Since Eisenhower now has 20 combat-ready and ten reserve divisions, the Lisbon agreement did provide for progress. But there will not be military security in Europe...