WEST GERMANY TANKS, BUT NO TANKS AMONG THE MANY HIGH-SOUNDING BUT VAGUE 
PROVISIONS SPRINKLED THROUGH THE FRANCO-GERMAN RECONCILIATION TREATY CEREMONIALLY SIGNED IN PARIS 
SIX WEEKS AGO WAS ONE CALLING FOR JOINT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
OF CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS . THIS SEEMED A PROMISING CLAUSE, FOR EXPERTS 
FROM BOTH NATIONS ALREADY HAD SPENT YEARS WORKING TOGETHER ON VARIOUS 
PROJECTS E.G., ANTITANK ROCKETS DEVELOPED AT THE FRENCH BALLISTIC PROVING GROUNDS 
AT ST.LOUIS, A BIG MILITARY TRANSPORT PLANE DESIGNED TO OPERATE OFF 
SHORT RUNWAYS, A FRENCH-DESIGNED HEAVY HELICOPTER . BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT 
JOINT PROJECT IN THE WORKS WAS THE EUROPA PANZER, A MEDIUM 
TANK ; WHEN FIRST CONCEIVED, THE IDEA WAS THAT IT WOULD 
REPLACE THE WEST GERMAN BUNDESWEHR'S 2,000 OUT-OF-DATE U.S . M-47S AND 
M-48S, GIVE THE FRENCH ARMY A FAST, QUICK-FIRING, MANEUVERABLE WEAPON . 
BUT THERE WERE SNAGS IN THE EUROPA PANZER SCHEME . THE 
GERMANS, SOLD ON THE IDEA OF A SAFER, CHEAPER MULTIFUEL ENGINE, 
WHICH WORKS BEST ON DIESEL OIL, SNIFFED AT THE FRENCH MOTOR 
DESIGN . AND BONN DEFENSE CHIEFS PREFERRED A FAST-FIRING BRITISH 105-MM 
. CANNON THAT DID NOT FIT THE CHASSIS THE FRENCH WERE 
TALKING ABOUT . LAST WEEK BONN'S NEW DEFENSE MINISTER KAI-UWE VON 
HASSEL OFFICIALLY SCRAPPED THE EUROPA PANZER IDEA, DECLARED THAT WEST GERMANY 
WOULD PRODUCE A FLASHY NEW TANK OF ITS OWN . FRENCH 
DEFENSE OFFICIALS HAD GOTTEN WORD OF THE DECISION LONG BEFORE THEIR 
CHARLES DE GAULLE HAD SIGNED HIS NEW PACT WITH BONN . 
BUT THE CANCELED DEAL WAS BOUND TO SET MINDS ON BOTH 
SIDES OF THE RHINE WONDERING JUST HOW USEFUL THEIR TREATY REALLY 
WAS . 