Two Germans and an Austrian discussed present-day problems of the German-speaking peoples of Europe in a forum last night on contemporary European affairs sponsored by the Foreign Students Seminar.
The two German students presented contrasting views on the role of the Schumann Plan in the European economic picture. Rudolf Renger, an official of the Social Democratic party, and an Inspector in the Civil Service of the West German state of Schleswig-Holstein, criticized postwar Allied policies towards Germany, stressing the forced deindustrialization of the Ruhr and the lack of benefits for Germany under the Marshall Plan.
"While we Germans want no charity," he said, "we want to become a useful link in the European chain." He deplored the influence of reactionaries and Germanophobes in the formulation of the Schumann Plan.
"A political vacuum in the heart of Europe is impossible," he concluded, "and therefore there must be closer political cooperation as well as an economic integration of Western Europe."
The other German speaker, Guenter Sengspiel, a student at the Free University of Berlin, challenged Renger's views.
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