Word: nato
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Some Western critics fear that the Russian plan would replace the Pax Americana that was established in Western Europe after World War II with a Pax Sovietica maintained by the Red Army. Even so, many Western Europeans, including some NATO foreign ministers, see nothing wrong in at least gauging Soviet intentions by attending the conference...
...however, is extremely wary. NATO's acceptance of the invitation, said U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers, would put public pressure on the member nations to attend even if there were no prospect for concrete results. "What does the Soviet Union want to achieve by proposing such a conference?" demanded Rogers. "Does it want to deal realistically with the issues that divide Europe or does it seek to ratify the existing division of Europe? Does it intend to draw a veil over the subjugation of Czechoslovakia...
...test of Soviet sincerity, Rogers suggested that the Russians might respond to forthcoming proposals by the Western allies concerning improved land and canal access to West Berlin. He also urged the Soviets to prove that they genuinely want to ease tensions by agreeing to discuss NATO's year-old suggestion for mutual troop reductions in Europe (see chart). The Soviets, however, have shown no interest in such a move. The Red Army forces in Eastern Europe accomplish two major objectives of Soviet foreign policy: they provide perimeter defense of the motherland, and they help to keep the Warsaw Pact...
Several of the foreign ministers, including West Germany's Walter Scheel, remained convinced that the West nonetheless should display a readiness to negotiate with the Soviets. The final communique, though weighted in favor of the American position, was a compromise. While the NATO ministers welcomed the Warsaw Pact's call for talks, they stressed that careful preparations would have to be made beforehand...
...withdrawal of substantial numbers of the 300,000 American servicemen now in Europe, Laird pledged to maintain U.S. forces at their present level until at least mid-1971. To offset the departure of 6,000 Canadian troops, the British agreed to assign six additional combat brigades to Germany. Because NATO forces are outnumbered 2 to 1 on the crucial central front and would be quickly overrun in the event of an all-out ground attack, the NATO defense ministers also agreed to new guidelines that provide for quicker use of tactical nuclear weapons...