Walks of Humility

Answering a question by Winston Churchill, Prime Minister Attlee said last week in the House of Commons that an American had been chosen as NATO's Supreme Sea Commander, Atlantic. Attlee seemed surprised that this statement brought down upon him a storm of protest from Laborites as well as Tories.

Demanded Churchill: "Were there no British admirals capable of discharging these functions? Does not Britain lie at the very key of all communications across the Atlantic with Europe? Are not the sea approaches to our island in the event of submarine attack vital to our life?"

Said Attlee: "In an organization of a number of countries, it is not possible for one country to insist on its right to some particular office."

Washington, which had let it be known that U.S. Admiral William M. Fechteler had been selected for the NATO post knows; as does Winston Churchill, that Britain is no longer the leading naval power. The U.S. is also especially conscious of the fact that the Royal Navy has had nothing like the experience of the U.S. Navy in the use of sea powers' capital weapon: the aircraft carrier task force. The British see the submarine as the great naval threat from Russia, and in debate Churchill emphasized submarines.Churchill pointed out that Britain had sunk 525 German submarines, compared to 174 for the U.S. He said: "I do not think that our country ought to have fallen so far into walks of humility."

John Hynd, a Labor member, touched the heart of the issue when he asked: Does the Prime Minister not consider that there is a very important psychological question to be considered here, a question which ought to be appreciated by the Americans as much as by ourselves? The world at large is beginning to think that there is something wrong when the Americans have leadership of the Atlantic forces on land, leadership of the Korean forces, and now, presumably, are to have leadership of yet another force."

A few days later Attlee announced that Admiral Sir Philip Vian would be deputy commander in charge of the eastern Atlantic. The House of Commons was not perceptibly cheered by this news

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