In a room banked with tulips and azaleas at The Hague last week, the defense chiefs of the Western nations threw self-congratulatory verbal bouquets at one another. The meeting of eleven Atlantic pact nations was a competition in complacency. But in sober fact, there was nothing to be complacent about. In men, material and morale, Western Europe's guard was still down. It was all but helpless to meet a Soviet attack.
The main U.S. effort at The Hague seemed directed toward assuring its allies that, if war came, U.S. help would be prompt and effective. The Europeans were eager—too eager—to believe...
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