24. I come finally to my main theme, which is also the
major pre-occupation of my country, Europe and the
Atlantic Alliance.
countries outside the NATO area as to the members of NATO
themselves. As was recognised during the last war, when
it seemed in 1941 possible that Hitler's Germany might
bring almost the whole of Europe, from the Urals to the
Atlantic, under Nazi control, anyone able to dispose of
the full resources of Europe would be well placed to
dominate the whole world. Should the Atlantic Alliance
ever cease to be united and prepared, and the way ever be
opened to the Kremlin to extend to the remaining countries
of Europe the control it now exercises over those of the
Warsaw Pact, the balance of power between the USA and the
USSR, on which the peace of the world at present mainly
depends, would be fatally over-turned. From a Europe
united under communist domination the Middle East and
Africa would have no means of defence, and even the Western
Hemisphere would be most seriously threatened. I trust
therefore that no one, regretting the transfer of British
forces from extra-European bases to Britain and Europe,
will regard the increased contribution which we could then
make to the defence of free Europe as of no value to
countries outside that continent.
This should be of as much concern to
Everyone's first line
of defence against any threat of Soviet communist
domination is the Atlantic Alliance.
25. That that threat has not lost its reality was proved
again last summer with the invasion and occupation of
Czechoslovakia by Soviet forces, supported by those of 4
/of the