Conant Recommends Allies Adopt Patience in German Reunification

President Emeritus James B. Conant '14 recommended that the Allies adopt a policy of "patience and alertness" on the question of German reunification, in the final talk of the Godkin Lecture Series last night.

Speaking on the subject of "Germany and Her Neighbors," the former U.S. High Commissioner and Ambassador to Germany also said that the recent friendly relationship between Germany and France and the reduction of the historic enmity between the two countries offers promise of progress "towards the goal of a United Europe."

The "impatient" approach to reunification, Conant said, offers policymakers the two extreme solutions of neutralization at the cost of withdrawing U.S. troops from across the Rhine, or rearmament of Germany with the intention of an eventual invasion of East Germany.

While the first suggestion would shake German confidence in America's willingness to support them against the Communists, Conant explained that a warlike gesture in West Germany would antagonize our NATO allies and could result in war with Russia.

"Those who advocate the patient approach to the question of reunification do not imagine that the Soviets can be trapped into actions that will liberate Poland overnight," the former diplomat warned.

Changes in Poland Predicted

He predicted, however, that conditions in Poland at some future point will eliminate the need for the Soviets to station troops in the satellite country and that it will be to the interest of the Russians to withdraw their troops. "Reunification will then be relatively easy," he concluded.

Illustrating the "unpredictability" of modern history, Conant described the change in French policy toward Germany. Both French and German parliaments have recently ratified the Saar agreement and proposals leading towards a European Common Market and a European Atomic Authority, although as recently as 1953 the proposed European army failed to be ratified.

"I still regard that action of the French General Assembly as a tragedy," Conant stated.

Following the speech, a questioner pointed out that former ambassador George Kennan was the "Mr. X" of the lecture, since it was his ideas on the neutralization of Germany that Conant had opposed.

Conant admitted that he had argued against some of Kennan's ideas and reiterated that these plans would probably meet with disfavor in Germany today.