Word: nato
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Along with these changes came a reconsideration of NATO's goals. It is now conceded that, with Russia in possession of nuclear arms, Western Europe could not provide an adequate deterrent force. Recognizing this fact, the emphasis in recent years has been to transform NATO into more of an economic and political, rather than a military organization. The replacement of Lord Ismay, a military leader, with Dr. Spaak, a political figure, as Secretary General underscores this shift...
...fears of Western European nations, primarily West Germany and France, have not changed. They fear the reduction in conventional armaments and troops, and they recoil at Britian's recent cut in her NATO ground forces and conversion to nuclear weapons. These countries, especially Germany, foresee a war of nuclear goliaths. They also fear that in the event of "brush wars" fought in Western Europe with conventional arms, they will be at the mercy of the overwhelming Soviet ground forces. Furthermore, they fear that by committing Western defense to nuclear weapons, the West will be compelled to take the initiative...
...United States sits on this thorny problem, fearing to jeopardize either military adequacy or diplomatic bonds. Secretary Dulles has assured Bonn and Paris that America will not reduce her NATO manpower, thereby attempting to allay the inevitable neutralistic sentiment which would result from such action. But, being committed to nuclear emphasis in its general defense scheme, America is hard put to modify this concept as applied to Western Europe...
Bonn naturally wants NATO to plan for halting a Soviet offensive at the Elbe, rather than at the Rhine. But such a goal is admittedly impossible to achieve, and nuclear retaliation must be the primary objective. Yet, America can afford to sustain its NATO troops at their present force, if only to avert European fears and neutralistic repercussions. Besides, an adequate European ground force is vital to protect the missile sites which would launch the nuclear reprisal...
Such military considerations must not be permitted to paralyze the emergent economic functions of NATO. These functions will rapidly overshadow other objectives, and antipathies over military strategy cannot be allowed to interrupt such progress. It is to this goal that America must yield, and must make concessions to Europe, if only to prevent political tensions from destroying the delicate, nascent, economic agreement...