Professors See Russians Striving To Keep Missiles Out of Germany

Members of the Faculty yesterday speculated on the implications raised by British Prime Minister Macmillan's suggestion that the West consider bilateral limitations on nuclear and conventional arms in Central Europe.

Bruce C. Hopper '18, associate professor of Government, said, "Macmillan may have felt that Khrushchev's main motive in the Berlin crisis is to force the West to agree to keep IRBM's out of West Germany." Hopper claimed that the West could afford to restrict missiles with atomic warheads to Britain or France.

"The crux of the problem, however, is Berlin," Hopper added. He insisted that we must stand firm there, predicting that "the Russians will be in the Ruhr before we know it, if we give up Berlin."

Hopper also insisted that any agreement to prohibit nuclear-armed missiles should be limited to areas in Central Europe, explaining that "the West's ability to protect Germany and Berlin against Russian land forces would be destroyed by a prohibition of nuclear weapons in all of Western Europe."

He further suggested that the Soviets' real motives may lie elsewhere. "During the last Berlin crisis, in 1948-9," he commented, "the West lost China to the Communists; this time the Soviets may be attempting to divert us from the Middle East while they build up their position in Iraq."

Daniel S. Cheever '39, lecturer on Government, maintained that the Russians' primary motive in the Berlin crisis is to prevent the atomic arming of West Germany. "However, the West could only accept such an agreement if sufficient inspection controls were included, and I don't think the Russians want this," he added.