NATO: THE CHANGED FACE OF EUROPE

foreign [Music] 1945 [Music] and as Western Army sweep across Germany voices crackle on the field radios speaking in English and in Russian only those Allied on the struggle come together on the reveal for Europe and the world an unforgettable moment and if only all had continued to act in the spirit of that moment what a Europe what a world my friend Having learned [Music] west of the elbe runs the river Rhine for centuries the highway yet the divider [Music] the river of the Goths and Romans Christians and pagans free men and slaves a river with a history of strife for it runs through the heartland of Europe the continent so long torn between races and factions that only dreamers like Charlemagne could visualize it as a peaceful Unity [Music] but in spite of the Bloodshed most of it's so recent one Europe is at last becoming a fact born out of the very dragons teeth of War a harvest from the seeds of Europe's own destruction in 1945 and the end of yet another European War and who has won when in fact all have lost a war in which more civilians died than fighting men not in hundreds but in millions but they at least were spared the Optima much had gone forever and what was in its place in the aftermath but mere existence where a non-damaged roof made a palace a loaf of bread a banquet one long lineup with want ever there in the queue what are Europe to grow old in water Europe to grow up in [Music] a black market where even Pride was for sale to the highest bidder a Europe in which degradation had brought the end of self-respect and human values hopped back to the Jungle that in order that Wheels could turn again some had to put Faith in others they had to trust and sit around the same table to find by agreement the means of putting Europe indeed the whole world to rights already it was evident that the Europe of 1939 had gone forever the annexation of the Baltic states the huge advances of the red armies had placed enormous areas of Eastern Europe and the Soviet domination Marshall Stalin was hardly the man to yield over the table that which he had seized and battled nevertheless he had agreed on free elections and amid the ruin of countries such as Poland they were held though how free they were was a matter of opinion with Communists already in key posts it was little surprised that things went their way and if anything else was needed to make their victories certain there was always the presence of the secret police and the numberless soldiers of the occupying Red Army and peoples exhausted by War were hardly likely to resist such question with determination for all their energies were engaged putting one brick back upon another in Western Europe where destruction had been lighter morale was much higher here regimentation had been accepted only because without it winning the war would not have been possible now at the end of that war the essential freedoms of democracy burst out with new figures there was a determination to see to it that such a disaster would never happen again yeah I said and for the more deflective there was to the realization that to be done with insecurity Europe must be United but how could these Europeans be United when they're also different here was the blood of many races nationalities each with their own traditions and ways of life not to mention the score of different languages they might smile at each other but as neighbors they seem to have little in common sometimes a frontier was a natural barrier a river or a channel but more often than not it was merely an invisible line across Fields or streets an invisible line and an attitude in mind yet even in this time of preoccupation with Essentials there were those who realized already what must be done this is not a movement of parties but a movement of people it must be all for all Europe can only be United by the heartfelt wish and German expression of the great majority of all the people in all the parties in all the freedom loving countries no matter where they dwell or how they vote go very well for such as Winston Churchill to make speeches in 1947. he had self-respect he had enough to eat he had a place in which to live Unity was this the Earth in which to plant such seeds at such a Time Unity was well down the list of priorities anyway Unity was supposed to stem from the United Nations and their lack of progress was such that when delegates from east and west sat down together hopes were so thin that even they were cynical about them how could there be a cord when the East blocked every move in its direction of course in the economic chaos of this first war period communism saw its greatest chance [Music] wherever there was dissatisfaction there they could fan the Flames of revolt Justified any means in countries like Czechoslovakia infiltration overcame the obstacles at first communist leaders paid lip service to democratic principles treating the veteran president banish with respect he deserved as head of state then they whipped up left-wing popular feeling into a mood of taking drastic measures to obtain not just the power due to them by the votes cast but total control of the traditionally Democratic Czech state [Applause] soon president banish was forced to retire and die broken-hearted in Virtual exile [Music] Parliament the new leaders of the land made their debut with enthusiastic demonstrations of support [Music] then in an exhibition of cruel irony they stood in silence to pay homage to an absent member the great liberal Democrat the son of the founder of his country Jan mazarik an States after a fall to his death from a window by accident suicide on murder no one knew except that for the Communists it could not have come at a better moment thank you and if infiltration failed there was always the threat of strength based on Moscow their wartime allies had demobilized they had retained their armies here was a powerful Factory in Indiana in an attempt to gain control over the vital Bosphorus the Russians had offered to renew a treaty with turkey only if they could have bases within her Frontiers by standing firm the Turks called the bluff of their neighbors in Greece were not so lucky in Greece the Communists staged open revolt A desperate tunnel in which the government only kept control after bitter fighting [Music] an already War impoverished people were brought to the very limits of hunger suffering and despair the method of settlement might be with and what good were guns without bread and so for the world there came the realization of the basic truth Europe's problems stemmed not just from the recent War but mainly from the neglect and indifference of centuries what good were guns against backwardness what good were guns against the Valeria which sapped the strength of whole peoples what good were guns against the tuberculosis the Ricketts the squalor and filth feed the needy children but one of their hungry fathers mothers grandparents now is the time to lift the stone and reveal the horrors that lay beneath [Music] thank you far from Europe Shores there were those who cherished what they owed to their European Origins and these were people never prone to let human suffering exist without protest true they gave from a wealth the greatest in the world but this in no way detracts from their Christian intent [Music] in Washington George C Marshall Maiden earn the principles of the plan that was later to bear his name the whole situation is critical in the extreme but there's no doubt whatever in my mind that if we decide to do this thing we can do it successfully and there's also no doubt in my mind that the whole world hangs in the balance as to what it is to be in connection with what we're endeavoring to put forward here thank you [Music] later President Truman drove to the Capitol to put the Marshall Plan for European Aid before Congress [Music] I am here today to report to you on the critical nature of the situation in Europe and to recommend action for your consideration I believed that it must be the policy of the United States in Europe the response have been immediate in Paris World Statesman met to discuss how and where the Prophet American Aid could best be applied among the delegates was Soviet Russia's Mr Molotov for the Marshall Plan took no regard to politics only human need but for the Communists human need was their stocking trade such a plan could only put back their own plans of Revolution by means of economic chaos and so out of the Paris conference stalks Mr Molotov to be followed by the delegates from communist Poland and Czechoslovakia but a few dissenters could not call a halt to the greatest humanitarian step in history and so the cargos began to move across the Atlantic food grain and raw materials and it wasn't just a matter of feeding the hungry from Chicago Illinois to do a France a giant press for steel production not only to put French Mills back on their feet but also to make them among the most modern truly the power of the new world come to redress the balance of the Earth in Paris the organization for European economic cooperation was set up a council of 16 Nations whose task it was to ensure that Marshall Plan Aid was used to the best possible advantage to rebuild a settled economy and to re-establish inter-european trade on a basis of strength by their agreement for instance Holland could import three-quarters of the cotton needed to keep our textile Looms in full production by their recommendation could Britain receive a carbon black she needed to make the tires for her all-important automobile industry thus could France bring into her ports the sulfur needed to make fertilizers to maintain her world famous Vineyards at their best [Music] then there were tractors and other equipment for turkey to bring her agriculture into line with that of her more fortunate Neighbors then steal for the shipyards of Italy for Trieste Genoa Naples but over and above revitalizing Europe's economy the Marshall Plan had longer turnings with its funds and technical assistance vast areas of Italy whole islands like Sardinia and Cyprus became Battlegrounds in the fight against the malarial mosquito everywhere Health teams went out to battle with the scourges of centuries for thousands such undertakings often meant the difference between life and death A New Hope for Europe was red in the eyes of children ah but this is mere sentimentality revolution first humanitarianism afterwards the Marshall Plan is but a scheme to gain control of Europe instead of the nests of capitalists so down with the Marshall Plan down with the Marshall Plan by strikes unrest and even sabotage a land by Soviet and communist structures Statesmen of Western Europe came together to discuss common defense the place Brussels with memories only too painful and close to that field called Waterloo [Music] only a handful of Nations signed the Brussels treaty but in terms of European Unity it was an historic step and the continent owes much to the foresight of the five [Music] the treaty brought tried and tested Warrior to fought in blue in France to make the first tentative plans for meeting if need be force with Force but there was little military strength of which to do it and already events were outstripping their efforts the next Hot Spot the city of Berlin occupied by French British Americans and Russians ever since the failure to establish pre-election throughout the whole city Berlin's situation between East and West had grown steadily more uncomfortable now the Soviets felt strong enough to take action their efforts to starve the Western population were frustrated as all the world Knows by The famed Berlin Airlift but in a few short years of peace the Soviet area of domination had spread alarmingly over Europe how could the Brussels Powers alone hold further advance and so for poor old Europe talk of War yet again and one brick hardly back up in another what hopes now for the Marshall Plan and so it wasn't surprising that the Europeans read their papers with not as little cynicism and despair and then they read how 12 nations in Washington had signed what came to be known as the North Atlantic Treaty and if they had doubts about the new organization NATO the need for it was proved At Once by the virulence of the Soviets and communist reaction this was driving a rift between east and west this was an affront to All peace-loving Peoples they paraded the dove as a symbol of peace and peace was their slogan but was this the peace for which so many had died in Normandy at Ella Maine in front of Stalingrad in the hills of Italy in the streets of Paris was this the aftermath they had enlisted yet [Music] and so the peoples of Western Europe Ponder the new step and decided that it was indeed the only way and so they backed the authentic pact and gave strength to its Council for this all that there were worse things in war and that to avert war was to be prepared for it and so Europe took the move towards defensive real moment very calmly and in spite of all the threats when NATO's first supreme commander Dwight D Eisenhower arrived in Paris to take his post the planned demonstrations came to naught Prairie headquarters in Paris the military staff of the airlines began their task of building the continent's defenses and although they didn't realize it they were taking the first steps to a western Unity that was to extend far beyond the military field soldiers of many nations working together in peacetime for a common cause the growth of NATO's strength moved a pace with the progress of the Marshall Plan so that and mingled with the goods pouring into European ports were treated weapons and other armaments goods for peace and goods to safeguard that peace and as well as the goods men soldiers Sailors and Airmen from across the Atlantic from Canada and the United States here this time to prevent the guns from sounding month after month the build-up continued the build up for war to prevent War [Music] and as the camps and Airfield began to mushroom and her landscape all Europe took it all in the stride for those from overseas who visited her in those critical days there was plenty to see Farmers from the middle west for instance who came over to see whether Francis farm products were all they were cracked up to be and found they were and then some but for all visitors whatever their mission one thing was obvious the changing face of Europe the nations receiving martial Aid dollars were putting their own currency free by those dollars the counterpart funds to good work roads Railways Bridges dams hydroelectric schemes everywhere the rattle of cranes and concrete mixers and in the factories from Turin to Aberdeen there was ever growing Roar and busted the Marshall Plan was the stimulant NATO was The Shield but the effort itself came from hundreds of thousands of men and women who worked now with a will because they saw a mighty purpose now they were working for peace working for themselves and working for tomorrow [Music] in Strasbourg the Council of Europe was meeting regularly and at its conferences many European nations NATO members and others discussed the future of their accomplishments the council had no executive stars and its members could only advise their governments of the general trend of its thinking bedtime but it was at least a common meeting place somewhere where Europe could be viewed as a home a start but there was a long way to go the arteries of the continent might be throbbing now with new life yet still the age-old barriers loomed up it seemed a little short of atomic bombs could shift the walls of rubber stamps secure and rock-like as Cologne Cathedral or the Citadel of kakasan [Music] was easier than anyone imagined for the necessity for Unity affected Millions where it hurt most in their pockets the needs of trade and a higher standard of living were the factors that finally pushed down the Walls [Music] once the steel works and coal mines of the Czar the rule and Loren were the crucibles of War some then came all the cannons and without them War would have reverted to an affair of bows and batteries and then in one step by one agreement all were brought together under one community the European community of coal and steel the dream of Francis Schumann turned into reality in the city of Luxembourg the community set up its headquarters and went quietly to work in point of fact the idea was purely an economic one six Western European nations who dealt in coal and steel decided to cooperate to prevent overlapping waste of effort and unrealistic prices to establish in this field one common market a phrase of the world was soon to hear more of their reason for economic yet by this one act a handful of practical Visionaries had done more for European Unity than all those who had striven by Blood and force throughout centuries the business of making swords had been turned into making plowshares because there was little future in swords in the meantime at NATO headquarters in Paris equally important moves have been made a project to form a true European Army to include forces from Western Germany had failed but in its place by General agreement of all the NATO Nations the Federal Republic of Germany was invited to become their 15th Ally a step vital to the alliance a step vital two for European Unity for it placed the federal republic firmly within the Western orbit and out of the old no man's land that was 1955 and since then Old Europe has seen much profit the summit meetings frustration Hungary Cuba and yet all the while the changing face now in the heartland of Europe the defensive forces of NATO provide routine spectacles for by now they've been around for more than a decade [Music] but familiarity does not always breed contempt many of the bystanders were themselves born after the Atlantic pack for sound naturally they are more interested in how things work rather than why and why is not now quite so clear as it once was fly in the Heartland can there still be seen men and women wearing uniforms of States far across the ocean why NATO today the river Rhine is too busy to consider strife and warring factions and hostilities between Christian and pagan it's a long haul from Switzerland to the Sea and the customers are waiting [Music] besides the Rhine is now bridged in more ways than one today the tanks on NATO exercises are fitted across not for the purpose of Conquering the other side that merely took practice how to cross water for now German American British Canadian French Belgian and Dutch all work together to safeguard not only the Heartland but all Western Europe as a whole and now there are more than just ruins to defend today on the Sleek new international trains there are still those who must examine passports and ask if you have anything to declare but they do it rather half-heartedly while the express is in full Dash poor Prosperity cannot wait yes sir with reference to your order of the 15th we are pleased to be able to state that the desired Consignment will reach you on time even though your order is for half as much again as your last [Music] [Applause] and here in Brussels there's something else to see now for out of that first idea of the coal and Steel Community there has emerged an even more ambitious move here in Brussels the headquarters of what is now called The Common Market International cooperation across the table in terms of practically everything that men produce and consume today just the six but tomorrow without doubt the 13 with perhaps even some more from outside the old continent only the beginnings but they're for sure but only there for sure because of the watch and Ward of NATO because of the men and Equipment keeping 24-hour guard by land sea and air for still across from the Heartland only a few miles east of Hamburg and Frankfurt men toil ceaselessly to add yet more miles of wire to the already enormous web of the iron Curt over there working with or even passing the time of day will the West is strictly forbidden and so these Scuttle away like mice because they are afraid and where there is no wire there is the wall the Wall of Shame dividing peoples and families without Rhyme or Reason this is why NATO today just in case those beyond the wall who's near and smile might still be tempted to do something desperate [Music] but for us no time for wolves we have a train to catch if they over there can't join us then walls the pity because Europe is now moving ahead so fast there's a real danger being left behind [Music] even without them we over here are going full speed ahead together foreign foreign foreign foreign