EDC Postponed

The keystone of Western defense plans for Europe is the European Defense Community and its formula for arming West Germany. At the Berlin Conference last February the U.S. thought it had made a bargain with the French: the U.S. would assent to French negotiations on Indo-China at Geneva if the National Assembly would consider EDC before Geneva began. Last week when EDC finally turned up on the calendar of the National Assembly's steering committee, it was hastily postponed even by its friends. Reason: it would be hazardous to put EDC to a vote until Geneva is over.

From Maurice Schumann, the Deputy Foreign Minister, came a dutiful word of warning: "For peaceful coexistence with Russia we must have a balance of armed forces . . . Ratification of EDC is more urgent than ever because Russia and her satellites are able to put 400 divisions into the field within 30 days . . . The Soviet air force now has 20,000 planes . . ."

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