BRITAIN'S POLICY IN

Chronicle (Levin), 15 January 1949, Page 6

BRITAIN'S POLICY IN

Important' Reaifirmation Of Long-term Aims The policy of the three Western occupying: . Powers to s . pursue and maiutain disarmament and demilitarisation in the Western Zones of Germany has been reaffirmed in an iihportant statement by the Briti^h Military Govemor, General Sir Brisin Robertson, in Berlin. Such an authqritative . statement was opportune in view of the tendencious rumour;' which have been circulating in Berlin and in the Western Zones. The fol'lowing is 'the text of General Robertson's statement: — "There has recently been a num ber of public utt'erances about the alleged revival of German militar> power coupled w.itli suggestions that the Western Allies are abetting o^ conniving at the secret rearmamen — remilitarisation is the word used— of the Western Zones. I regard i' as significant that these statement" followed closely upon coipmeiit: which appeared in the Western Pres: about the new German police forcin the Soviet Zone. In putting tbesr stories about their sponsors hav( found no lack of credulous listener? for they are bound to appeal to thosf who have not learnt the lessons 'oi the two World Wars. Mischievous Words. '' "I am prepared to vecognise tha' som'fe of the exponents of these view? are not entering upon -tliis controversy with mischievous intent. Their words are mischievous in their effects all the same and show a failure I to realise that Germany's future liesiin the ways of peace and not in the irepetitioii of political and military qdventures which have twice brouglit her to disaster. - "I can tell you here and now that these rumours of remilitarisation in the West are silly and unfounded, and only serve to encourage speculation about something that does not exist. "For the last 30 years we have been at war for one day in every three

as a result of the military ambitioiia of G'ermany. When we came here in 1945 .our" first task was to disband the German armed torces. It is not our intention' to recretite them now. Thorough Disarmament. "Our disarmam.ent and demilitarisation policy speaks Zor itself. We have insisted upon dismantling muniuons plants. We are committed to a: policy of prohibiting and restricting those i'ndustries upon which the war eflort was built. tve are retaining powers under the Occupation Statute to ensure that the work of disarment is not rendered futile in the • * » 'fr years ' to come, and we are- creating fn the Military Security Board an instrumeiit .by which these powers. shall be enforced. "In these last weeks fresh efforts have been made to' deflect us from our- • purpose. Every • argument has been brought "to" bear to dissuade us from carrying out our programme of demolitions at Wilhelmshaven and Eckernfoerde (torpedo research stution). 1 hope that I am a reasonable nian and that I am not blind to the egitimate intorests of the German iconomy, but T have made it clear hat I will give no coun^enance to .'.pecious excuses for re aining insta:ations which have no value except for war purposes. I have, t-old the1 xerman authoj-ities concerned that in ending themselves to hese attempts they are likely to forfeit their goodyvlll when they want help on soine inore construcUve project: indeed, they. have already done themselves a lot of liarm. y ' • Powers Of Police. "There is one furth'er aspect of this ' 'which concerns the police force. We have already made plain in our Zone what we believe to be the right niethod of organisinjg a democratic police force. * We have insisted that the forces should be small, that tliey should lie kept on a local basis and that they should be democratically controlled. I believe that these ideas are right 'ancl propose to "stick to them. I and my colleagues shall not lose sight of them when we are considering the -police provisions of the basic law and we shall tell the Gefmans what police powers if any.the new Federal Governmeut niay have. It would be naive to imagine. that

after all we have done in tjve matter of- disarmament 'we- sho'Uld tolerath a resurgence in the guise of . the -police force of any kind of military formation. • - "The Grermans have a good sized job on their ' hands in 'rebuilding the peace economy of Germany^ Let them set on with it and we shall do our best to help them. And if ' there are people .who .think that the pfoblem of security in Western EurpDe can best be solved by rearming Germany Instead of by relying upou the ;resources and courage of the cpuntriqs in the Western Union they will get no support for their ide'as from m'e,"