The War Whoop (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 23, Ed. 1, Wednesday, April 1, 1959 Page: 2 of 4
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Ten Years of Freedom
THE WAR WHOOP
Wednesday April 1 19j9
(Editor's Note: The material which fol-
lows Is released by the American Council
on NATO Inc. It docs not constitute en-
dorsement of the NATO by the WAK
WHOOP but is presented here as an aid
in understanding world affairs.)
Ten years ago pn April 4 1949 the United
States broke a tradition that had existed
.since the foundation of the republic Despite
the Bloomy predictions of a minority the
United Statts Joined a peace-time military
alliance - NATO the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
In the pa.st decade both critics and sup-
porters of NATO have had the opportunity
to assess Its accomplishments and to decide
whether the United States was wise or fool-
ish in entering the alliance. As It happens
the voices of the critics are strangely quiet
today Indeed some of them may now be
heard on the opposite side whispering that
NATO really does not go far enough in its
realizations and its alms.
To understand what NATO Is and has
been one must try to recapture the gloomy
.spirit of 1949. the year of NATO's foundation
At that time the Soviet Union maintained a
tremendous military establishment and a
wartime Industrial effort the United States
had demobilized and disarmed after World
War II and all of its friends and allies in
Europe had done the same.
The free world having survived the most
frightful of all wars then assumed that last-
ing peace was finally at hand. The United
Nations had been established and all rea-
sonable men fondly hoped that future Inter-
national disputes no mater how grievous
could be settled by peaceful negotiation with-
in that organization.
In one sense the war had been fought to
establish the United Nations. At long last
there hud appealed on earth a powerful In-
ternational body that could maintain the
peace and advance the gentle hopes of man-
kind. But reasonable men reckoned without the
aspiration of Soviet Communist dictatorship.
The Soviets had no Intention of demobilizing
or disarming. The Soviets had no Intention ot
utilizing the U N. as a forum for honest ne-
gotiation The Soviets had only the driving
despotic ambition set forth by Lenin and
Stalin to expand across the free world until
all men lay subject to Soviet power.
Apologists for tho Soviet Union contend
that the Soviets did not Intend world domin-
ation As (he excuses went the Soviets
merely intended to live In peaceful "coex-
istence" with the rest of the world. But that
was the "coexistence" of the lamb with the
lion. During and before World War II the
Soviet Union had seized parts of Finland and
all of Latvia Lithuania and Estonia. If the
Soviet Union really wished "coexistence"
might she not free these nations at war's
end?
Run Run. Run!
We've said it once we'll say it
twice election days are here again.
The business of student government
is time-consuming: anybody who
has taken responsibility in it can
tell you that. But it is also import-
ant and important enough to be
worth doing well.
Let there he no office filled this
year by persons who run unopposed
just because there is insufficient in-
terest in the work for people to run
for office. McMurry needs your
best!
Published weekly (luring tho school
year September through May except
for stated vacation periods by the stu-
dents of McMurry College Abilene Texas.
Opinions expressed herein are those of
the paper and Its editorial staff and do
not necessarily reflect Mic attitudes ot
the college or its administration.
Subscription Price $3 Per Year
Editor Don Boyd
nuslnesa Manager Drucllle Baraokman
Sports Editor Bob Holcomb
Photographer Mae Elchenbergcr
Staff Martha Brackeen Dellnda Cog-
burn Helen Crowr Paul Holcomb Annelle
Holraon Karen Jones Kelly King Sandra
Lowe. Judy Millard "Mary Scott Frank
Sltchler Barton Bratth Jimmy True
Janelee Vaufbt Pat Youn.
But Instead the Soviet Union tightened
her grip on them and set about engulfing
other small nullons within her grasp. By es-
tablishing fradulent "peoples' governments"
in Poland Bulgaria Rumania East Germany
and Albania governments which never rep-
resented the will of the people but only that
of a small Communist minority-backed by
Soviet arms the Soviet Union seized all of
those countries within a short time.
In 1947 Hungary was taken over by the
Communists and In the following year Cze-
choslovakia. In 1948 tho Soviet dominated
Communist parties made their bid to topple
the governments of France and Italy by
Communist-led strikes and riots. By that
lime even the most naive apologist for the
Soviets realized that their aim was not "co-
existence" but world domination Within
five years they had seized nearly 400000
square miles of European territory contain-
ing 90 million people. If this was "coexist-
ence" what might "competition" mean? Sla-
very for all?
But the free nations of Europe were mili-
tarily and economically weak. England and
France had been bled white in the war. Ger-
many lay prostrate and divided. What could
prevent the Soviet Union from picking off
the surviving democracies one by one? The
only salvation for free Europe lay In an al-
liance. If the stlll-frcc democracies could face the
Communist menace with an unequivocal no-
tice that an attack upon one of them would
be resisted by all perhaps they might man-
age to survive. But even this was doubtful
without the assistance of the powerful na-
tions of the Western Hemisphere the United
States and Canada.
In 1947 and 1948 first Great Britain nnd
France and tl)cn the "Benalux" countries
Belgium The Netherlands and Luxembourg
formed defensive alliances. Watching these
developments the United States began to
consider whether it too should become in-
volved. But there were serious Impediments. The
United States had never Joined a peacetime
alliance and many of Its people still believed
It would be folly to do so. However the events
of World War II were still fresh in mind. The
world had shrunk. The Atlantic and Pacific
oceans were no longer barriers but highways.
The modern aircraft and the momentarily
expected development of the guided missile
had shrunk distances to only a fraction of
what they were. The atomic bomb had made
It clear that only a few explosions not a
ban age of thousands could destroy a civili-
zation. Moreover the United States had begun to
realize that its economic life was inextricably
tied to that of Europe. Europe's markets It
was realized were of great Importance to the
U. S. Without the raw materials supplied by
Europe and Europe's overseas associates the
United States could no longer keep Its In-
dustries functioning. Without Europe's man-
power and brainpower the United States
might soon find itsel frightenlngly alone in
a hostile world.
Above all the rich traditions of the oldest
and most highly developed civilizations of the
world constituting as they do the foundation
of our own civilization formed a bond of
understanding and kinship between Europe
and North America.
Consequently In 1918 the United States
moved toward an alliance with the democra-
cies of Europe. Led by such men as Arthur
Vandenberg the U. S. Senate passed a reso-
lution enabling this country to depart from
its traditional Isolationism and to enter an
alliance provided that the terms of the alli-
ance did not impinge on American freedom
of action and that the members of the alli-
ance were willing to help themselves and not
rely exclusively on the wealth and strength
of tho United States.
In 1949 tho United States Joined 11 other
free nations in NATO the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. The partner nations
were Great Britain France Canada Belgium
The Netherland Denmark Portugal Italy
Iceland Luxembourg and Norway. (In 1952
Greece and Turkey became members of tho
alliance and in 1955 the Federal Republic of
Germany.) All of these nations pledged that
an attack upon any one of them whether In
Europe or North America would be regard-
ed as an attack upon all nnd would be re-
sisted by all.
But the purpose of the alliance although
defensive was not only military. The part-
ners also pledged themselves to work toge-
ther In the political social educational sci-
entific and economic fields.
From tho day of tho signing of tho NATO
Treaty a great change seemed to take place
In the fortunes of the Soviet Union. Commu-
nism's explosive advance into Europe rame
to an abrupt halt Jn the decade since 1949
not one squaro Inch of European territory
has been added to the Soviet empire. The So-
viet Union has not dared to attack or sub
vert one more lone democracy because of
NATO's cardinal principles if one 4s picked
on all come -to its aid.
Page 2
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Wide Wide World
SOME THINK IT HOT SOME THINK IT
COLD Whichever you prefer you may have
both by May 27. That's the expiration date for
Khrushchev's ultimatum to the West to "pull out
of Berlin or else. . ." The world felt a new chill in
the cold war when K. first issued the orders but
since then much thought by the West and K. him-
self leave the field a little more open to arbitra-
tion. Khrushchev who himself pulled out of the
summit conference last time is now booming for
another conference probably in July. The prelim-
inaries will be taken care of at a foreign minis-
ter's conference to be held in Geneva on May 11.
CONGRATULATIONS to NATO on its
tenth anniversary. Time was when a chilling joke
went something like this "The only thing that
stands between the Red Army and the English
Channel is the Russians' lack of boots." Since then
the Russians have been to the boot shop and
NATO has come into its own.
ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN A few months
ago Nasser was calling Khrushchev "brother"
and berating the West for its "imperialism." Now
a complete about-face has taken place as K. makes
a play for Iraqi oil. Not that he needs the oil in
fact sources say he doesn't even have the tankers
to transport it but it would be well for the home
team if he could cut off this major source of West-
ern oil. Iraqi premier Abdul el Kassem is having
tea quite often with Khrushchev these days and
the battle lines seem to be drawn betwen Cairo
and Moscow. Where does that leave you and me?
Evidently shaking hands once again with Mr.
Nasser.
BOSOM PALS AGAIN After the meeting
of Ike and Macmillan at Camp David Maryland
last week one can safely say that relations be-
tween this country and Britain are the best they
have seen since the end of World War II. What
good was the meeting besides affording both lead-
ers a much needed rest? Some basic agreements
between the two top powers in the West for our
position at the summit this summer. (1) The west
will never agree to withdraw from West Berlin
(2) We will insist that the allied corridor of access
to Berlin remain open (remember the Berlin air-
lift?) (3) We are flatly against "disengagement"
of any type and (4) We will offer to negotiate a
German peace treaty but not insist on German
reunification.
All in all it's an interesting and decidedly
changing world for even as this copy goes to press
we cannot help but wonder what Khrushchev will
pull next bless his clownish heart. Mike Pelfrey
J
-m rr. 1TnlTMIm IHiWIMU
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The War Whoop (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 23, Ed. 1, Wednesday, April 1, 1959, newspaper, April 1, 1959; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth103819/m1/2/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.