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Such a prospect, of course, is of
concern not only to the new gov–
ernment in Bonn, but to the other
member governments in NATO,
especially the United States.
Britain: A Nuclear Muddle
Britain, too, is becoming subject to
political uncertainty and the grow–
ing potential for left-right clashes.
The same issues are involved: the
economy and nuclear weapons.
Conservative Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, in offic.e since
1979, sti ll enjoys high popularity in
the polls above Labour and the new
Liberal-Social Democratic alliance.
But Mrs. rhatcher, who is pursu–
ing a tight-spending policy and
plans to denationalize many indus–
tries, is confronted with record–
high unemployment. More than 3.3
million Britons are out of work.
adopting a position calling for Brit–
ain's unilateral nuclear disarma–
ment. Specifically the program
endorses the scrapping of Britain's
Trident missile system ordered by
Mrs. Thatcher, the closure of all
nuclear bases in Britain, including
those of the United States Navy and
Air Force, and the cancellation
of
the NATO cruise missiles scheduled
for deployment in 1983.
Almost simultaneously, a report
from a committee of the Church of
England, the official state church,
has called for virtually the same
program. This greatly angered
Mrs. Thatcher and Conservative
party leaders.
The unilateral disarmament is–
sue in Britain runs parallel to the
growing demands in many quarters
of the United States for a so-caJied
nuclear freeze on the further devel-
Concerned Leaders Speak Out
There are leading officiaJs in West–
ern Europe, especially in West
Germany, who are deeply disturbed
over trends taking place in their
own societ ies, as well as in the
United States, specifically involv–
ing the nuclear defense issue.
A recent article in an American
journal calling for the abandon–
ment of NATO's first use policy
drew a hurried response from a
number of West German political,
military and academic Ieaders.
Abandoning first use, they
warned, could "destroy the confi–
dence of Europeans and especially
Germans in the European-Ameri–
can Alliance ... and would endan–
ger the strategic unity of the
Alliance and the security of West–
ern Europe."
Poul Schleuter,
Danish Conservative party
leader, reversed
Norway's one-party minority
government
is led by Conservative
Kaare Willoch
Belgium's determined
Conservative leader Premier
Wilfried Martens,
West German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl
following the creation of his
first government
recent electoral trend
The prime minister has consid–
ered calling elections later this year
ahead of May 1984, the end of her
five-year term.
The economy will certainly be a
major issue in the coming cam–
paign. But, in addition, the Labour
Party, winner of sorne recent par–
liamentary by-elections, will be
confronting Mrs. Thatcher with a
radical new posture on national
defense.
After toying with the idea for
years, the Labourites are close to
February 1983
in power since 1981
opment and deployment of nuclear
weapons by both the United States
and the Soviet Union.
Further disturbing NATO mili–
tary leaders is a pastoral letter pro–
posed by American Roman Catholic
bishops. It would admonish Catholic
military personnel from carrying out
specific aspects of U.S. nuclear
defense policy-specifically the so–
called first use of nuclear weapons in
Europe, the very core of NATO's
"flexible response" nuclear deter–
rence policy.
One particular West German
official is certain to have a greater
impact on the future of these
issues- Franz Josef Strauss, minis–
ter president (governor) of Bavaria
and a power behind West Germa–
ny's new government.
Jf the conservative parties win in
the next West German elections,
Herr Strauss may emerge as the
most influential politician in the
country, assuming the positions as
foreign minister and vice-chancei–
Jor.
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