THE TABLET May 2nd, 1959. VOL. 213. No. 6206

Published as a Newspaper

A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER & REVIEW Pro Ecclesia Dei, Pro Regina et Patria FOUNDED IN 1840 M A 'Y 2nd, 195 9 NINEPENCE A Secret of Progress I What Development Schemes in Asia and Africa Neglect th e Elizabethan Settlement: Four Hundred Years After. By the Bishop of Salford The Church in independent Singapore: E nd of an Epoch. By r . w . Chisholm The Widow d’Youville: The First Canadian-born Saint. By Molly McGee Ronald Kaiox: The Quintessence of Oxford. By Evelyn Waugh I he Oratory School: The Centenary Sermon by the Archbishop of Birm ingham Critics’ Columns : Notebook : Book Reviews : Letters : Chess

UNEASY APPROACHES 'JpHE military advantages of interior lines have often been dwelt on, but there is something parallel in diplomacy where one political authority confronts a coalition and can talk first to one and then another, to find the most amenable and to divide the coalition. The Foreign Ministers of NATO now in Paris lead arduous lives in consequence. Mr. Herter will soon have his fill of air travel. There are risks that must be run, of division and misunderstanding as much preferable to sterile negation. We must always be ready to talk. Not to be ready is a defeatist attitude, because the weaknesses of the West all lie on the surface, while the weaknesses of Russian Communism are profound. M. Khrushchev may talk about the war having been over for fourteen years, but the only reason why there are Communist regimes in power in Central Europe is the Russian invasion of Germany in whose path these countries lay. If M. Khrushchev is unwilling to discuss any change of status in any of these countries, on the patently false plea that they must be left to manage their own affairs, he cannot say much about anomalies continuing in Berlin ; and the Foreign Ministers of the West should plainly have the best of the discussion, provided they do not lose sight of Europe.

M. Couve de Murville’s speech to the French Chamber showed how closely the French and German policies over Berlin are aligned. Both countries are extremely suspicious of any suggestions for thinning out troops on the ground. One major fear is that, if the troops are not there, para-military political formations will immediately assume much greater importance. This was the history of the inter-war years in defeated Germany and defeated Austria, that as soon as there was no regular army the political parties armed themselves. Over “ incidents ” the West would rather deal with the Soviet military commander under orders from Moscow than with German Communist formations which might try to make life impossible for West Berlin. Of course the converse is also true ; the East German Communists might fare very badly in their efforts to maintain order without the steadying iron hand of Russia immediately behind them.

There is a strong case for Western rigidity, and a certain danger for Britain, in becoming the main advocate of what is termed flexibility. This is a rather unfortunate word, with its suggestion of yielding, for a very sensible attitude, a readiness to to maintain a continual debate. The more rigid countries of NATO ought to recognise that Mr. Macmillan rendered them a great service by going to Moscow, for it is mainly thanks to him that May opens in a much calmer atmosphere than seemed likely in January. He impressed on M. Khrushchev that his habits of speech could prove much more dangerous than he intended. Mr. Macmillan, himself wounded in the 1914 war, pointed out that that great tragedy was not inevitable, and that none of the statesmen and diplomats concerned intended what in fact came to pass. But high and threatening language between the Powers was followed by mobilisation; and then the military took over to seize the initiative before it was seized against them. The great advantage of summit talks is not that very much is likely to come from them, but that they represent civilised intercourse, and are much superior to diplomacy conducted by means of speeches to home audiences, but for foreign consumption. Lord Montgomery’s indiscretions

Good commercial television can be very poor statesmanship, and there could hardy have been a worse moment for American television audiences to see Field Marshal Lord Montgomery criticising President Eisenhower or Mr. Dulles. Those who watched Lord Mont­