Council for Defence (1961)

[Music] this is Thomas Cadet calling the BBC in London from the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Paris the NATO Council met here again today at ministerial level with the foreign defense and finance Ministers of the 15 member countries defense questions have been on the agenda all this week and there has been some discussion about the relationship between so-call conventional forces and the nuclear deterrent Supreme commanders Chiefs of Staff soldiers Sailors Airmen the military and the Civil Ministers of State ambassadors diplomats civil servants presidents even rank or status however is of secondary importance each is a servant of people which is why he is here each session finds the Press impatient for details of what has been said and what may still be said on the record or off for the matters discussed claim the attention of the world which just shows how times have [Music] changed once for the majority who took no part in it war was something heroic colorful romantic even but then it was a purely National Affair in which attack was slow in coming and allowed time for countering even sometime to spare for ceremonial [Music] now the ceremonial of science strictly applied red for alerts yellow for Luminosity green for [Music] [Music] gold now only speed mobility and power can ward off aggression power incredibly technical astronomically costly a burden that could never be borne by one country alone let alone a small one fully occupied with the business of [Music] living a country like well let's say the Netherlands small yes but proud of what it has achieved after centuries of experience a country not trusting in sudden Revolution but believing in the steady processes of evolution inequalities may be but disappearing slowly and surely for like the cannon they too are anachronist are hardworking people that have known war and hate it [Music] the Netherlands next to them Portugal and Norway Denmark France and the Federal Republic of Germany the United States Britain and Turkey Greece Iceland Italy and Luxembourg Belgium and Canada 15 in all each with a place at a table a round table with no sign no ends because here each has an equal voice for this is NATO's headquarters at the edge of the V Paris the start of another day with its stream of work bound like way Jers in any other occupation or trade each with his hopes cares worries and Ambitions but comeon round the daily task in this case to serve the organization born on April the 4th 1949 when the governments that signed the North Atlantic Treaty were and I quote resolved to unite their efforts for Collective defense and for the preservation of peace and security to NATO's headquarters to come visitors from all over the world in little groups and special tours journalists or sociologists teachers students or just interested parties their first experience a briefing on the whys and wherefor of the strongest peacetime Alliance in history a union that Drew its name from the wide Atlantic well gentlemen we need not go into great detail as to why the treaty was signed and why the West had to reun Nato as you know came into being as a direct result of the Soviet threat to Europe both military and political its first task was to rebuild on an international basis sufficient strength to resist attack not an easy task for countries already hard hit by War emphasis was on what we now call conventional forces and what the military call The Shield of [Applause] [Music] NATO needless to say it was a long Hall and a slow one but with the years the necessary strength was built up enough at least to make any wouldbe aggressor cease to count on a walkover at the same time we did not and could not neglect the so-called sword the detergent forces based on massive nuclear retaliation thus the primary aims were achieved but what is more interesting is the method by which they were achieved the method a committee of the North Atlantic Council one of 150 committees meeting regularly resume in conference the slow way but the Democratic way present a case argue a point of view discuss it take a little give a little in one of two official languages chairman I've told my authorities about face at our last meeting present argued discuss negotiate so that 15 Sovereign governments may arrive at a common point of view to agree on a common line of action their subject matter the whole vast field of collective defense what sort of weapons can we afford them who is to make them could more than one country combine in their production where shall they be based who controls their use who gives the order to F then what about the essential support and all that goes with that F which out of all the systems of this and that is the one to be adopted and having selected the best can we keep up the supply who is going to train the Specialists needed to operate and what language will be used so that the operation is efficient and again and again how can we share the burden of the cost considering what has been said one of 150 committes dealing with political Affairs production and Logistics economics Finance or science often slow to reach agreements because 15 have to be satisfied but when agreement has been reached then the wheels can turn for this is not only a talking shop but a place where action is taken as a result of the talk talking each government has a delegation to Nato headed by an ambassador he presents his national case reports back home and tries to meet his allies halfway supporting these Nationals the international Secretariat men and women from all NATO Nations whose business it is to keep the machine running to organize the meetings and iron out the snags to record the decisions to type them to produce the documents which make discussion possible to distribute them 400 copies of this action sheet please by this time tomorrow 200 English 200 French yes restricted to delegations and Secretariat just one order among many these are the keepers of the action sheet the minute and the record ready to produce them when the agenda calls for them the Servants of 15 governments working as though for one I believe