British Plan for a Western European Bloc
 
 
 
      On September 29, 1944, Eden informed the House of
Commons that the Government has embarked on a policy
of drawing the countries of Western Europe into a closer
association with the British Commonwealth of Nations,
thereby giving official approval to the ideas enunciated
by General Smuts in 1943.
 
      Eden emphasized that the plan was in no wise con-
trary to the principles of Dumbarton Oaks, that it was 
merely an "element in the general international system", 
and that it would be a buttress to strengthen the gen-
eral world structure. He has also taken pains to assure 
the Russians that a Western Security bloc would not be 
directed against them but rather against a resurgent 
Germany, and through his Ambassador at Moscow has said 
that provided, in fact, regional, arrangements are 
definitely made subordinate to a World Organization, he 
could not imagine, that the Soviet Union would have any 
objection to their establishment either in the West or 
in the East of Europe. 
 
       Traditional British policy in Europe has been, of 
course, that of preventing any one state from dominating 
the continent. The weakness of Britain's geographical 
position has always been that some nation would unite 
the countries of Europe against her. To combat this
anger, Britain has thrown her support first to one and 
then to another, thereby maintaining the balance of power 
necessary to her interests.
 
       Heretofore there have always been several strong 
European powers providing the basic elements for this 
policy. At the end of the present war, however, this 
situation will have completely changed, in that Russia 
will be left as the sole great power on the continent --
a position unique in modern history. Britain accordingly 
fears that Russia will dominate the continent (including 
Germany) and she therefore finds herself in need of 
thoroughly revising her political thinking. There will 
 
 
 
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