Neglected Fences

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Preoccupied with crisis diplomacy in Viet Nam and the Dominican Republic, President Johnson has had little time to think of the rest of the world--including Western Europe, the area of most vital concern to the U.S. Yet no one could doubt that the U.S.'s fences in Europe needed mending, or, at the very least, tending.

In London last week, a high-ranking

British official chided the U.S. for what he called its "sophisticated insouciance" in dealing with Europe. In Bonn, a West German government official said: "The U.S. has a role in Europe. When the time comes again, we hope you will have solved your other problems and can play it." British Liberal Party Leader Jo Grimond recently rose in Parliament to criticize President Johnson for not being "deeply interested in Europe." In Paris, a poll taken by the Institut Francais d'Opinion Publique to determine the world figure whom Frenchmen regard as the greatest menace to world peace, Lyndon Johnson ran a close second (30% to 32%) to Red China's Mao Tse-tung.

Living Reminder. In the U.S. last week for a five-day visit was a living reminder of America's stake in Europe: West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard. Erhard did not come to complain. But in stating the reason for his trip, he did note that "urgent decisions that are vital for the future of the Atlantic Alliance need to be discussed."

At New York's Columbia University, Erhard received an honorary doctor of laws degree, along with six others. At a luncheon given by the German-American Chamber of Commerce and attended by 635 U.S. businessmen, Erhard spoke of deteriorating U.S.-French relations, and their effect on the Atlantic Alliance. West Germany's foreign policy, he said, depends on a strong Western Alliance that includes both France and the U.S. "There can be no European unity without France or without Germany," he declared. And "without the closest alliance with the U.S.," there can be no North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Next day in Washington, Erhard met with Defense Secretary Robert Mc-Namara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Under Secretary George Ball, later spent 90 minutes in a "working session" with the President. During their talk, which Erhard described as "filled with substance," the two leaders reaffirmed some old pledges of mutual support. They agreed to work for "further European economic integration" and "increasingly closer economic ties between Europe and America and the rest of the world"--a point that was not likely to please French President Charles de Gaulle. Beyond that, Erhard asked for--and got--reiteration of U.S. promises to continue to work toward German reunification, and to keep U.S. forces, "backed by nuclear power," in Europe for as long as they are "wanted and needed." For his part, Johnson won Erhard's strong and publicly stated support for "American determination to turn back aggression in Viet Nam."

Staunch Ally. If nothing else, Erhard's visit brought home again the fact that West Germany is a staunch U.S. ally--perhaps the staunchest in the present political pattern of Europe. It also served to underscore the point that U.S. interests in Europe are many and vital, and that regardless of Viet Nam or the Dominican Republic or any other crisis in which he finds himself, President Johnson cannot afford to let those interests slide.

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