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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1969-02-27, Page 15GODERICH $I( NM $TA R, T VI P Pfl • AIMETHUMB BY G. IViecLEOD ROSS The Committee on External Affairs and National Defense is buffy just now listening to arguments intended to assist it. W form a foreign policy, from which in turn, audefense policy may evolve. At the precise moment the academics are at bat; the professors of history and political science. Apart from the main purpose' of these hearings, they also serve as a revelation of the "political science" 'to which bur children are being subjected. Now comes Thomas A.. Hockin, an assistant professor at Yorli University's department of political science, with an .article in the Gtob.,e and Mail entitled: "The Big Gap in the Great NATO Debate." He contends that NATO .ponents and their critics can never produce ..a dialogue because they argue to different premises. Hereunder we examine some of the critics arguments. 1. Canada's role in NATO is not crucial to the military potency of the alliance. Presumably this means that the presence of 1,330 men in west Europe is too small to make any 'difference one way or the other. 2. a Canada's diplomatic "leverage" is negligible, therefore why incur the cost for no return? ° While it may be agreed that Canada's material contribution of 1,300 men is negligible in terms of defense or offense, the very fact • of their presence underwrites Canada's adherence to the principle' of maintaining the status quo in Europe. It serves to intimate` to her allies that should war break out, Canada ,would pour in all her resources, both military and 'economic, to support other NATO allies. For that matter, 'the forces which Britain and Canada deploy at the moment to contain a Soviet threat, are inadequate. Consequently it seems misleading to base any argument solely on the numbers of ' allied troops now 'in west Europe. They represent an assurance that all countries *concerned 'will in case of need,. expand their military ;, commitments and organize all their resources to keep any ogra pi7.itc1. enerc ac went thirrrtlie i senttc flile 3. The critics hold that Soviet intentions are no , lori�ger aggressive in west Europe. They argue that the. Soviet invasion of `4 Czechoslovakialwas indicative of isolationism, rather than of expansion; that by their action they Soviets . destroyed their influence ovbr It alian and French communists, who would now realize the could expect rto independence from a Soviet occupation of ' their two countries. The latter , part of this contention fails to recognise that "communism," as espo.rsed by minorities in free countries.like Italy and France, or Britain, or Canada for that matter, is vastly different from Communism imposed by a dictatorial regime on the Russian people. As a simplification it could be. said there are a hundred and one kinds of communism, of which China is only one outstanding, example. But all, in the long ruin, are based on an aspirant dictator supported by an elite of conspirators who combine to enthral the masses. Furthermore the argument smacks of "Munich;" of 'appeasement. When have weever been given reason to trust the Soviet word? Surely such blind clairvoyance should have been dispelled by Yalta; by Cuba, where even now SAMS are being mounted; by the double-dealing in World War II. The -treaty' with Hitler which fooled even that prince of duplicity, Hitler himself. " Add the information recently smuggled out of Russia and published in the "Times", that °• Stalinism is being resurrected; that the present shared responsibiliti will soon be replaced by a dictator, opposed to all reforms which might Weaken his .stifling mastery,. Any country which credits the Soviets with a sense of humanity is a potential suicide. 4. It is argued the Soviets are pleased that NATO exists becauseit serves to prevent German rearmament. ' Here is yet another complaisant pipe -dream which only indicates gross ignorance of German character. To anyone' who ,witnessed some of the German devices for building up a modern offensive weapog in the mid 1930's; such an argument is 'laughable. We said the same in 1935. Wepred,thelr aircraft de vel-oP�, • e� tis Constance; we ridiculed their card -board tanks, but we did not laugh -at the culmination of their efforts: Dunkirk 1940. Not only To NATOTir NOT.: did the ;Germans have the tanks, they had the tactics too The British had neither. So there' is notittle of probability that Germany will rerrmin unarmed. Her armament industry, has already publicized the fact that it is on the march. Our best tolicy is to ensure she uses her. forces in conjunction with ours — with NATO. ' a There, is another factor which is not. always given sufficient weight in fashioning Canadian opinion. It is the innate sense of 'freedom which pervades all western ' European nations. If you have not sensed,it, it is hard to appreciate in tight little Canada, but' it survives, if latently, so long as dictators exist. Do you really believe that Czechoslovakia is communist at heart? • 5. The critics make the assumption: Any Euro span war will b.e fought wit it Uclear weapons, From this they argue that these are beyond Canada's resources to possess; tjiat their use is so certain, it behoves Canada to "stand from under" and not become tainted by the. American nuclear umbrella. Alt things are possible, but the first assumption is believed by most to be improbable. In any event, Canada,' by her very adherence to western philosophy, _cannot escape ,the wrath of the Soviets. A land which appears to Soviet eyes as one flowing with wheat and oil and minerals; a prize of war. As such = Canada is irrevocably damned in Soviet eyes. Geography too, has made Canada a captive' of the North American continent,;from which flows an obligation to support the West, like it 'or not. The sooner she accepts this immutable location, the less becomes the „temptation to Soviet aggression. The waging of war has moved on troth the times when it meant a cpriflict between professional armies. World War I changed all that and. World War II' put • the coping stone on ' it: Whole nations are now involved when a major war erupts. Everyone becomes involved. if Canada were now to embrace r an isolationist policy, she would sufferMore for not. having an, ever SO,- smalls - flinger ----irk- the'_. European pie when the balloon vent up. A fighting force is not a static organism composed of X men, Y planes and Z ships. It is to • dynamic; live; always striving to Improve; always seeking greater effectiveness, not necessarily in numbers, but in weapons and in its staff; its brains. Just -as you only improve your game by playing with experts, so the Canadian nucleus in Europe is. kept on its toes by 'association with. , American, -"British and German troops. It follows that Europe is the best school for our land and air forces. The professor's article appears as too great a simplification of NATO which, after all, like the iceberg, shows. only one seventh of its mass. Now comes • Professor Kenneth ,McNaught, a historian, who holds that the "military alliance system leads naturally to war." Can this be the lesson of his' generation? Agreed, that France was rotten tore core in the 1930's, would not Hitler's successes in western Europe have been less, speedy had Belgium consented to defence talks before 139, instead of opting for "neutrality" and Dunkirk? McNaught argues that if Canada left NATO, Russia would be robbed of the "rationale for maintaining the Warsaw Pact system." Does the professor honestly believe that the Soviets care a damn about "rationale"? Has he ever heard or read of the Soviets giving anthing.as a quid pro quo? The Warsaw Pact is essentially what the professor refuses' to allow' the western Powers in the form of NATO, for the Pact is one of mutual defence with Albania, Bulgaria, .Czechoslovakia; Hungary,. Poland, Rumania and East Germany. •It is an imposed Pact ' to which the above mentioned seven nations submit, or else. You saw how Hungary and •Czechoslovakia were dealt with before their dissent became a habit. It, is a Pact formed on the basis of the lessons of the last war to ensure, ' apart from economic advantages, that any attack on Russia will be fought "outside Russian soil. We can therefore be certain the Pact will be continued --NATO or no NATO. In the latter event if will be enlarged, most probably by the inclusion of Berlin. The professor , makes great play with iexpressions such as:. , "myths_. and ;credibility gaps." Though he does not, as reported, spell these out, they appear to be based on a ' difference of opinion as to the amiability or otherwise of the Soviet Union. Does the protessor hardly remember how many people in the U.S.A. and the U.K. were carried away'. by dear Herr Hitler's kindnesses? Why expect a meeting of minds. with the faceless Soviets; a collection which may soon be transmuted intea reincarnation of Stalin? Tloviet rule book is not our rule book and the sooner we give up trying to curry goodwill by concessipns to our rules, so soon will wgremain strong. We haves, all lived through, demonstrations as to what a war with the Soviets would mean. The whole West would be involved, This is why it becomes paramount" that a country with a small population and a developing industrial economy, such as Canada, has its sole chance of survival based on shacking up with the big battalions of the. West. 'The simplest, most economical way to underline their intent, without loud protestations, or beating of. the breast, is to maintain her force with NATO. * * * There is another question much asked: Should Canada flirt with Red China when this action is in opposition to present American policy? Most countries covet ' an entree to". the yast potential markets represented by Red China But there is more to an exchange of ambassadors than that. There is an understanding of the foreign country to be achieved. Immediately this would. be well worthwhile, not for Canada alone, but for all Western nations. On the one hand the argument goes that Canada's influence is so minute; on -the other that she should not run contrary to the policy of her vast neighbour. - Why should not. Canada's penetration into China result in good for both countries, Canada and the U.S.A.? William Jennings Bryan once advised: "Don't argue with a man; search him!" Paraphrased, this -means find out all you can about a man; don't keep him at arm's length and yourself in doubt as to, his intentions. Disarm him by discovering his intentions. China is a vaster count'ly than ,the Soviets. Its brand of communism is not that of the Soviets. Its philosophy is that everyone must work for the State, which is very different to the Soviet `search and destroy' megalomania. It is time we knew more about Red China; time we filled in the • blanks in our dossier. To establish a listening pont there would be of immense value. What could be more natural than for Canada to assume the role of the privateer and go off and .try her tuck, at gaining a toe -hold. Great understanding might accrue. An understanding which might ripen into an alliance. An alliance which would go far to sober Soviet intransigence. Such ideas might seem to some as •insupiortable -by evidence. Do nolf forget that the Chinese* people have a great wealth of breeding behind them. Those who have worked ' with them in their ovfn land have invariably brought away with them a high regard 'for their honesty and loyalty. They are the eastern nation most worth cultivating, If we could 'man* an entente it could well bio8e010 into a global balance of power which would ensue the peace of. the- world' long .after we, of today, have gone. The Universal Postal Union has a ,membership of 134 countries, and is the largest of eight such postal unions, ATTENTIO N FARM ERS Order Early And' .Make Big Savings Now! ON: SEED OATS —SEED BARLEY MIXED GRAIN - CLOVER SEED & GRASS SEED ALSO: �. FOR EVERY 10 BU. OF SEED CORN YOU BUY - YOU -GET ONE BU. FREE 50 HURRY WE, STILL HAVE . SEED OATS, -SEED BARLEY, CORN &-BEAN CONTRACTS AVAILi4BLE FERTILIZER SUPPLIED .WITH CONTRACTS CHECK OUR a FERTILIZER PRICES. ON: 8-32- 16, 6-24-24 18-46-0 13--_52.-_ 0 . _ 5-20-10 Potash & Aero Priils BEFORE , YOU BUY --{GIVE US A TRY G. Thompson & Sons Ltd. 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