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Zentrale These des Textes aus der Zeit des Kalten Kriegs: Die USA müssen sich mit der Herausforderung des Kommunismus auseinandersetzen, sich dabei nicht nur bewußt werden, wogegen, sondern vor allem wofür sie kämpfen und dementsprechend eine glaubhafte Außenpolitik, die sich an den Idealen der USA orientiert, entwickeln. (BIOst-Rsg)

De Gaulle's anti-"Anglo-Saxon" diplomacy has made it necessary to rethink the "grand design" for an Atlantic partnership. A possible move in the field of nuclear strategy which might take the wind out of de Gaulle's sails would be the formation of a unified command over Western nuclear power composed of a small group of Americans and Europeans, com parable to the wartime British-American combined chiefs of staff. Failing the prevention of the creation of an inward- looking, Gaullist Little Europe, countermeasures should be taken: The Trade Expansion Act should be amended to permit the President to reduce tariffs to zero if necessary to compete with a European bloc with no internal tariffs and common external tariffs. Most-favored-nation provisions should not be included in treaties and trade agreements with nations which follow France into a protectionist European Economic Com munity. Common policies should be developed with those nations which share the original aims of the Atlantic partner ship. The concept of Atlantic partnership should be widened into a "partnership of the free democracies." Within the partnership of free democracies a system of international pay ments should be developed to protect the currencies of its mem bers from outside interference. In all events, hostile retaliation must be avoided and the paths to peace must be explored.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was originally conceived as an alliance between the United States, Canada, and Western Europe for the purpose of guaranteeing their mutual defense. The assurance the alliance provided for the defense of Western Europe was ben eficial and necessary in the face of the mounting Soviet threat. More and more the "shield" that NATO forces were to provide has become nothing more than a "tripwire," because the NATO military forces in Europe, according to the calculated estimates, are and have been since the inception of NATO inadequate to restrain a Soviet westward movement. Apart from the military co-operation provided for in the alliance, there were provisions for political and economic co-operation. These were left aside from the beginning, mainly because there were other organiza tions better suited to deal with them effectively. For these reasons, it seems that NATO has become an outmoded instru ment for the pursuit of free-world interests. Perhaps, NATO could be used as a bargaining counter for an eventual peace settlement in Europe, but it may already be too late to use NATO for even this purpose.—Ed.