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especially in the rural areas of Easter Germany, The most recent
of these suggestions was made by Gerhard Eisler, who suggested the
control of the @tections by the Protestant and Catholic Churches,
While this sounds good, it nevertheless woukd open the way to great
swindles, since East Germany is predominantly Protestant and since
the Red Regime has already tajen over large sections of the Protoss
tant Clergy, Furthermore the Churches would be under the most violent
pressure and would have, in the absence of intemational authorities
es Ping of protecting themselves or of telling the world the true
actse
As against this policy, Adenauer end his foliowers have a
clear line of conduct, Adenauer is a good German, who wants unity
just. like anyone elsee But he understands that this unity will be
true and lasting only, if Germany becomes a part of a united Europe
ens if, in preparing this, Germany should accept integration into
the Western Forces, provided that this integration is not done under
conditions unacceptable to the dignity of Germany, So far, Adenauver's
main difficulty has come from France and Britain, while his main
support has come from the Americams, The negociations on the treaty
have shown, that in many instances both West-European High Commissio=
ners have still clung to demands, which at present are entirely un¬
acceptable to the German public opinion. On the other hand, the Ames
ricans, while supporting the Germems in most points, are irritating
public opinion by small details, which show an ineredible lack of
fine understanding for public opinion, Thus for igstance, while nego=
ciating on German re-aramenet, they still keep at the expense of the
Germans in Coblentz a Commission of numerous officials, whose sole
task is to keep Germany Gisarmed and to report on any violation what=
soever of the Yalta and Potsdam decisions t an obvious but expensive
enachronisme They furthermore refuse to reduce the high standards
of completely unjustified lumry of their forces, also at the ex=
penses of the Germans, This lumry is one which plays gravely in
the hands of the Soviet propaganda. In this instance the British .
have acted much more wisely : they have foregone the unjustified
luxuries, and reduced their forces to the standards to which they
are used in Britain. This has been the abject of meh favourable
comment.
In the light of these policies, this observer has gained
the definite impression, that the personal prestige of Adenauer has
considerably risen in the past few weeks, Adehaver is not beloved
by the people, But he has something, which in Gerleny is mach more
important : he is respected and accented, The Germans, always in
search of a leader, are believing that they have found it in the
chancellor, And as he shows authority, many Germans are quite
heppy about hime This also explains why the Germans increasing],
accept tha re-armament of their country. They do not live the pere
spective, but they accept it as something inevitable, and hence
something it is a waste of time to discuss? While it would be an
arror to consider re-armament as something popular, it neverbeless
finds less opposition than could be reasonably expected 3 but this
only as far as no extraneous matter is injected in the debatce
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