Let them grovel

Their names were Baldwin, Chamberlain, Daladier. They bickered among themselves and refused to face the common danger. They thought they could appease the aggressors.

Now their names are Brandt, Heath, Pompidou. They bicker among themselves and think they can appease the aggressors.

Scared stiffof an Arab oil embargo, all European NATO members except Portugal refused to let American planes land in the recent air lift of help to Israel. Germany, in a breach of protocol, publicly announced its refusal to let its ports be used for American re supplies of arms to Israel. France's foreign minister accused the US of trying to dominate the world and claimed the Common Market nations had been "humiliated" by the superpowers who worked out the Arab Israeli truce alone. What the Common Market countries did not find humiliating was to grovel for oil by a proclamation calling on Israel to give up all territorries captured in the previous rebuff of Arab Soviet aggression.

The Arabs were quick to give lessons to all willing to listen. To immobilize Rotterdam, Europe's main oil and refinery port, they proclaimed a total embargo of oil to Holland, alleging it had cooperated in the air lift (a lie). The Japanese, who in their almost total dependency on Arab oil had been conspicuously pro Arab and anti Israel for the last decade, were told that they "could have done more." In appreciation of the obsequious anti Israel statement, the Arabs granted the Common Market countries a "reprieve:" They graciously condescended not to enforce additional oil cuts for a whole month.

Meanwhile Moscow, when it was not oozing out blessings for the spirit of de'tente, was busy making public pledges not to supply any Soviet oil or gas that could lessen the dependence of the US Or Europe on Arab oil.

But the European governments were blind to all this. They not only let down the US, they also broke their word to their Common Farce member country Holland, which they left without help.

Help to Europe should now be given by the US, said several voices, incuding US Secretary of the Interior Morton. The US should share its shortages with Europe, prolonging intra European bickering, discouraging Europe from mobilizing its own energy resources, and delaying European counter tactics of withholding supplies of food and technology from the blackmailers.

If the European governments have learned nothing from history, let the Arabs teach them.

Let them grovel at the feet of the sheiks.