https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/244317f0ad7a69142a648a90dbe6ca21.pdf 3500b5e50f81339730212bf304398416 PDF Text Text DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, CANADA. NUMBERED LETTER . · , UNCLASSIFIED No: .. .· .. ' TO: THE UNDER- SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, OTTAWA, CANADA. Secur1 ty: ....... , ........................ . ?...?..... THE CliNAnT liN EJ.ffiA qqy r • FROM: .........•. lt •• ,J{r--."'l • ....... • • , •••••••••••••••••••• .... .- 1 t 1 1 t 1 t t t 1 1 1 t J, I . GERiviANY-: · I t t t· 0 I 1 I I I I Itt I I I If I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 t 1 t 1 t t t t t t • of German Columnist 1 0 1 1 1·1 t t I I I f t .I I t t t 1.1 t I I t t .I t 'I I .Air or ... Y::\.?Yr$.. .. Adelbert I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Weinstein. •.• .................. •.o...... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . • ' ' 1 ' Mail: .. ... ,,,.,.,, .. . Post File No: ... .... , .. ,.,,, Ottawa File No. .S"O A. . ;c; LJ L/ . I - rr ""' ...L- ,/ o r-- References f, 10. Internal Circulation Although German press criticism of the multilateral nuclear force proposal, ,and of the German Government's position on this has abated somewhat in recent weeks, some of the Federal Republic's · best knmm and most \1\fidely read press colw11-nists ar.e still voicing strong misgivingsabout the proposed venture and its implications for this country. Given the ··apparently genuine change bf mind of German admirals about the military value of surface carriers for the .multilateral force, the Government's decision to support the United States proposals and.the SPD's · public expression of qualified support for the I4ILF .· (see our telegram No. 329 of 15), this persisting press opposition stands in curious cont::.:-ast vdth the almost unanimous support of the country 1:s political and military leaders. it is difficult to form any firm assessment of the significance of this press criticism, it ''muld seem most likely that it reflects both .PE'1rsonal attitudes aild biases on the part of the columnists concerned as. v.J'ell as, to some degree, lingering doubts and concerns about United States nuclear policy and strategy within the German military establishment (though not at the top) •. The attached office translation of an·article by Adelbert Weinstein of the Frankfurter Allgemeine forward some of the. most thoughtful arguments-advanced by these columnists against the I•lLF proposal. The Embassy. Distribution to Posts NATO Paris EmbParis London Wash DC Rome -000100 Ext, l82A (Rev. 2/52) • • • • • •• • • • , .......... • .. . , , . , . . ... , . , I &ferellce: ......... ·..... , ...... .- ................. , .. ,· ..... Subject: ... / •• ' ........... .. l •• . Date: •.•• - •• �TRANSLATION {D.H.) FROM FRAHKFUB.TEH ·ALLGErJfl£INE 6th. May, 1963. N.GITHBR OVER NOR UNDER THE WATER by Adelbert Weinstein In a letter to Federal Chancellor Adenauer, President Kennedy has asked for support for his govern''. ment's plans for the creation of a multi-lateral atomic force based on surface ships. The reply :t:_rom Bonn prom- ised the help of the Federal Government. Although the Federal Minister of Defence was not informed of this correspondence until after it had been con.cluded, the position '>vhich he will adopt at the_ I"J.ATO c;onference in Ottmva vJill be determined by the Charlcellor' s decision •. The delegation from the Federal viill hardly be in a position to resist American proposals.. This means that the Foreign Minister'and the Minister of Defence will have to lend their support to an Atlantic policy which will place excessive financial demands upon us. At the same time, these financial obligations will bear no relationship to the political advantages which might accrue to us. course; America's approval is valuable to us, of but the creation.of a multi-lateral atomic force based on surface ships not strengthen our to any measurable degree. This atomic force is furthermore not necessary to the military security of --"-'"" It is, on the other hand,: not suitable as a means whereby to improve the political climate or to remove the psychological tensions between the United States and her non-atomic alliance partners. 000102 �- 2 - The multi-lateral atomic force serves to strengthen America's atomic-mon6poly, but to the other Atlantic states it offers only the fiction of participation in the political and military use of the atom. Now the disagreement about this atomic force has developed into a dispute between the experts on mere technical details - is it to be based above or belO\AJ water? This question diverts attention from the real political proble.m, but still, we should hear what the experts have to say,., Once we knOVJ the technical details we find that the ltvhich surrounds the I • ts experts quickly disperses •. -.· Nowadays, all sorts of ,spoln can be either proved or disprove4 by technology. It is obvious that rocket bases on landare more susceptible than those vvhich can take -to the is more mobile.. Even if' On sea, the rocket ted on surface ships, rockets can be either massed into ..a. compact unit or employed individually. The up by dis per sal •. attacks can be split. . The ocean ·.can be used to dra;;n! off enemy '- forces from the continent.'- _Further, if the rockets-are used in association v.rith a new vreapon-system, such as ,the Polaris submarine, there is the additional advantage provided by the high degree of invulnerability attaching to launching ramps 1;o;hiqh can be sunk into the ilvater.. In this respect, the specialists can proudly point to a unique achievement, for this weapon goes a long way towards meeting their desire for perfection. 1'o be sure, this perfection has been paid for by a certain degree of inexactitude in reaching the target. nsmall!l. The are also relatively The system also demands elite crews. But as a means of surprise attack, a weapon ;,vhich can put to sea from a secret harbour and, from a vast towns and industrial centres, the Polaric'-000103__ can threaten L �' ' 3 The drawback is that these technical do not appear decisive for Europe .. What the .L!:uropeans require of an· atomic· force ... are not technical but political advantage?• First of all, in spite of the explosive political force associated i,vith the atom, the Atlantic alliance must. remain. Secondly, the only purpose of any atomic armament for the i'lest is the prevention of a third world v1ar - even a conventional war - within Europe. --- Any war, whether conventional or atomic, would be on the part of our statesmen, since it could be interpreted only as a continuation of a policy which has constantly proved to be v-1rong •. For the maintenance of peace, Europe needs rockets merely as a political counter-balance to the rocket power of the As far as we are concerned, this political effect cannot be obtained by the possession of rockets attached to amphibious mombinations, but middle-distance rockets based on land.. by In the Atlantic ' headquarters, seven-hundred· such rockets have been called r .· ·. forr as a counter-balance to the growing Soviet rocket force \.1hich might threaten '_the whole of Europe. It is regrettable that In Washington General Lemnitzer has recently been unable to'find . because this project of nsHAPE • 11 1 for this request,, - does not fit into the American system vfhich ·Defence Secretary McNamara has planned as a means of preventing atomic war. American strategic thought in the atomic age is similar to that of the European statesmen in the days of cabinet policy. They too aimed a balance of military forces. ·Everything was to be methodically arranged and even the primewel force of war be transCZ£rmed into a handy instrument ,__._ to �t -· - 4 .... ing the battles according to a system. was incorporated into a . The idea of war of-theories which, aimed at harnessing the brutal force it involved. The French Hevolution put ah end to these rococo ideas.. But to-day, atomic povv-er is again breaking all the rules. ' The atom has changed . attitude·.and behaviour of the ,. nations tm,rards one another. It demaJ:IS the cancellation I of abstractly formulated and political rules which were inspired only by_good But the iimerican theorists are searching for a controlled war which can be waged methodically and, at any given moment, halted for political reasons.. Their present system therefore admits only a general theory as to how atomic war might be prevented amongst the great powers. Their theory is upon the thesis of the ttmobile (atomic) retaliationn,. the progressive countering of the risk - in other atomic warfare v.rhich, spatially, temporally and in explosive effect, is constantly under control. Consequently, the individual concerns of the non-atomic partners can hardly be taken into account., The dis·oute over the multi-lateral atomic J. force which is being carried on with so many technical arguments is, in fact, the expression of the differing outlooKon both sides of the Atlantic. In this, the Americans appear to us as the nation i'Vho have mastered the revolution of the atomic age technically but not psychologically. Partneiship in the chances and risks for age means equal The alliance cannot be main- tained by generalised systems, but only by an appreciation amongst the great nations of the individual wishes of the others .. 000105 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW03666 Title A name given to the resource CDNW03666 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "NATO - Nuclear weapons - Policy - NATO long term planning," RG25-A-3-b, vol 5960, file 50219-AL-2-40, part 9-1, Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource Nuclear Weapons Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource en