ABSTRACT
The Soviet position is weakened by the fact that Moscow's suggested alternatives are not very convincing. A neutral and demilitarized Germany might turn into a nightmare even for the Soviet Union, whose interest is certainly not to have an economic and financial giant unattached in the middle of Europe, and to face again, sooner or later, the effects of a sovereign decision by that giant to throw off the shackles of imposed demilitarization. The Soviet position is also weakened because the main Soviet card, or instrument of pressure, is more a boomerang than a lever. The French government assuredly shares the anxiety of Washington and London about a militarily detached Germany. The fear of a return to the past is probably unjustified. The 'German question' that led to two world wars was caused by the presence in the heart of Europe of a huge nation that could only be contained by a coalition of several other great powers.
