Rallying for Peace

By Patricia Blake

Nuclear arms have become a powerful political issue

"We'll stop the Americans' neutron bomb, we'll remove the Soviets' SS-20's!" predicted an exultant pacifist as 300,000 West Germans poured into Bonn for the biggest demonstration ever held in the Federal Republic. They marched through the capital carrying carnations, crosses and banners: REAGAN'S PEACE IS OUR DEATH; TO BE OR NATO BE. Among the demonstrators was a predictable share of Communists. But the majority were markedly middleclass, like so many members of the powerful antinuke crusade that is causing in creasing political unease throughout Western Europe. Doctors, teachers, social workers and students, they represented 830 organizations dedicated to slowing down the nuclear arms race.

At issue is the 1979 NATO decision to deploy 572 U.S.-built Pershing II and cruise missiles in Western Europe as a counter to some 320 Soviet SS-20 missiles currently targeted on European cities. In addition, the peace movement reacted angrily to Ronald Reagan's announcement last month that the U.S. would produce neutron weapons that may ultimately be deployed in Europe.

The peace rally in Bonn was strong evidence of how potent a political issue nuclear arms have become, especially in West Germany, where Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's government has agreed to install 204 U.S. missiles--nearly twice as many as any other NATO member. Angered by the rising public protest, Schmidt called the demonstration "a declaration of war" against his government and his policies. Schmidt was particularly incensed by the action of 58 members of parliament belonging to his own Social Democratic Party (S.P.D.) who signed a declaration of support for the rally. Galling too was the fact that one of the principal speakers at the rally, Erhard Eppler, is a member of the S.P.D.'s national executive committee and a former member of the Cabinet. Said Schmidt: "The demonstrators are blind to the huge Soviet [arms] buildup. They make no substantial contribution to securing peace on the basis of military balance. Instead, they weaken the West's position and thus indirectly strengthen the East's position."

In an interview with TIME, Eppler dismissed Schmidt's concern, one essentially shared by the leaders of most Western countries, as alarmist. He gave the peace movement credit, somewhat dubiously, for pressuring the U.S. into setting a date for the resumption of arms talks with the Soviet Union. "The Chancellor sees threats where there are none," Eppler said. Like most West German peace crusaders, Eppler is opposed to unilateral disarmament, favoring a step-by-step process of limiting nuclear arms on both sides. Said Eppler: "We have reached a point where the confrontation of the superpowers in Europe could threaten the survival of the whole continent, especially the survival of West Germany." An even more pessimistic view was expressed by Volkmar Deile, a leader of the Action for Reconciliation, an organization linked to many Protestant church antinuclear groups. Said Deile: "There is an increasing feeling in Germany that talking to the superpowers about disarmament is like trying to persuade drug dealers to stop deliveries of dope. The feeling is that they are hooked on armaments."

The diminishing of detente has proved most traumatic for West Germany, which pioneered Ostpolitik a decade ago. Distrust of the Reagan Administration's hard-line anti-Sovietism and resentment of West Germany's continued reliance on U.S. power for national defense have reinforced the peace movement. "We grew up surrounded by reminders of our terrible past," said Munich University Student Erich Enders. "Yet we are now bristling with nuclear weapons over which we have no control. After World War II, Europe wanted a pacifist Germany; now they've got it. The Americans shouldn't be allowed to change that."

Schmidt has steadfastly refused to change his government's nuclear-arms policy. He remains committed to NATO's two-part plan to deploy the new U.S. missiles while negotiating their reduction with the Soviet Union. But this is scarcely enough for peace activists in West Germany and elsewhere. British organizers hope to attract 100,000 or more people to a giant demonstration in London's Hyde Park on Oct. 26. West German groups have scheduled a "peace week" next month, with rallies throughout the country. Said Eppler: "What you are witnessing is a fundamental change in people's consciousness." -- By Patricia Blake. Reported by D.L Coutu/Bonn and William Rademaekers/West Berlin

With reporting by D.L Coutu/Bonn, William Rademaekers/West Berlin

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