Stretching the North Atlantic

NATO's front, like the ocean sector it is named for, stretches from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. In the northern and central sectors, General Dwight Eisenhower and his fellow commanders have a solid organizational line, running from Scandinavia through Middle Europe. But on the southern flank, NATO ends with Italy. It does not embrace Greece and Turkey, the guardians of the eastern Mediterranean.

Last week after months of quiet but persistent pressure by the U.S. on its European partners, the twelve NATO powers seemed all but agreed that their alliance should be extended to take in Greece and Turkey. Most hesitant to welcome the two east Mediterranean countries: the north Europeans (Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands), who argued that NATO's resources might be spread too thin at their expense, and that NATO might lose its character as a North Atlantic community. The U.S. answer: there would be no lessening of American aid to northern Europe; there could be no NATO stability if the southern flank were left exposed. In conference at Ottawa this month, chances are that NATO will formally open its doors to Turkey and Greece.

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