THE NATION: Steps Going Up

Since 1917, the U.S. has been more or less closely, more or less consciously involved with another vigorous, complex nation—Germany. Last week, when West Germany's leader, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, took the momentous step of agreeing to full diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia, Americans knew that the news was important to them. But there was a considerable difference of U.S. opinion as to whether the news was good or bad.

Some of the doubts focused on the fear that a Russian ambassador in the West German capital, Bonn, might seduce the Germans from their alliance with the West. This fear was...

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