When Western Nations gathered to sign the Atlantic Pact, another meeting of importance took place in Washington. After months of debate on both sides of the Atlantic, France, England, and the United States finally wrote all occupation statute to serve in lieu of a treaty for Western Germany. The French objection to the proposed Western German state that has held up Allied agreement on policies toward the defeated nation was satisfied, enabling the three Western occupying powers to take a definite, united stand on the type of government they want in the constitution for Western Germany.

This constitution is supposed to come from the German people themselves, according to an agreement made last June. 65 German politicians (representing the Social Democratic, Christian, Democratic and smaller parties) met at Bonn last September to draw up a satisfactory form of government. Their instructions were to make the future government relatively weak, leaving much of the power in the hands of the eleven separate states. Disagreement among the Allies themselves, however, affected the council's deliberations all along, and the Bonn group has presented no acceptable document to the Military Governors.

Whether Germany should have a strong or a weak central government is the dispute between the Social Democrats and the Christian Democratic party, just as it was among the occupying powers themselves. While the Socialists have argued for centralization, the Christian democrats, who have the same number of votes at Bonn, have fought for a weak, federal government. Since neither side will compromise its position, the split has deadlocked the convention's latest attempts to draft the constitution.

The Socialists say that a centralized state could better oppose possible aggression and act as an efficient organ for directing ERP aid in the Reich. They also need such a government to carry out their promised nationalization program. Because the Washington conference decided on a government much weaker than they would like, the Socialists have threatened to quit Bonn and end the parliamentary council for good. Although they know that their convention opponents have Allied support, they hope that their stand will change the minds of the occupying powers.

Without the Social Democratic Party behind it, no constitution could get the majority of German votes needed to put it into effect. Thus Socialist opposition could mean that the Western German State would not be established at all. If the Bonn deadlock is to end, the occupying powers had better change their minds or do some fast persuading.