Word: west
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...private railroad car, General Clay looked back on his four grinding, controversial years as a 20th Century proconsul. A unified Germany, he thought, is now inevitable, but there must be another five to 20 years of gradually tapering Allied occupation. As for the Russians, he warned that an East-West agreement on Berlin should not be confused with "a permanent solution to the struggle between communism and democracy." Said Clay: "I don't think that implies war. War would never solve...
...Solid Symbol. For West Pointer Clay, the four years in Germany had been full of trouble, full of achievement, frustration-and plenty of criticism from all sides. The French objected violently to his singleminded, often stubborn determination to put Germany on its feet economically. Germans of all parties considered him too sternly unyielding. The State Department, sometimes slow in spelling out policy, fumed over his penchant for making policy himself. There were constant wrangles with the EGA. A civilian investigating committee complained only last month that General Clay's administration had deliberately refused to break up two of Germany...
...private cartels and nationalize it under strict controls. Thus far, the U.S. has been able to prevent nationalization on the pretext that German workers would labor more efficiently for their old masters. If the foreign ministers cannot find a workable arrangement for four-power control of German industry, the West should at least end the present sorry policy...
Ideally, the foreign ministers should decide to give the United Nations power to regulate the German economy for the good of all Europe. A UN commission of economic experts could tell German industry what to produce and where to sent it; a UN commission could state East-West trade flowing first through Germany and then throughout the Continent. But it is unlikely that the four powers will agree on this, at least for the time being. What is more possible is that the two blocs will find it profitable to exchange western industrial products for the raw materials and food...
Even supposing that no agreement whatsoever comes out of the foreign ministers conference, the end of the Berlin blockade and its tensions is welcome, of course. This crisis has lasted 11 months: during that time, the West has drawn closer together, and in Europe, at least, has been more successful than not in the struggle for recovery. But Europe, divided, hostile, and unhappy, has felt little joy at any "victory" for either side in the war of nerves. The re-opening of the German question can conceivably lead to a cautious resolution of East-West conflict in Europe...