GREAT BRITAIN 2 ON THE FENCE WITH MLF FIELD MARSHAL VISCOUNT MONTGOMERY 
OF ALAMEIN HAS HIS OWN IDEAS ABOUT THE U.S . PROPOSAL 
FOR A NATO FLEET OF POLARIS-FIRING SURFACE SHIPS MANNED BY CREWS 
OF SEVERAL NATIONALITIES . / UTTER AND COMPLETE POPPYCOCK ! " 
HE CRIED IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS LAST WEEK . " 
HOW, " HE SNORTED, " CAN A SHIP FIGHT EFFECTIVELY IF 
ONE-THIRD OF ITS CREW IS PORTUGUESE, ONE-THIRD BELGIAN AND ONE-THIRD, SAY, 
DANISH .? THE THING IS JUST NOT ON . YOU MIGHT 
AS WELL MAN A SHIP WITH A PARTY OF POLITICIANS . 
" MANY BRITISH POLITICIANS AND MILITARY EXPERTS SHARE MONTGOMERY'S MISTRUST OF 
THE MULTILATERAL FORCE (MLF) AND ITS SPONSOR THE U.S . INDEED, 
THOUGH PRIME MINISTER HAROLD MACMILLAN NOMINALLY AGREED AT NASSAU LAST DECEMBER 
TO SUPPORT THE NATO FORCE, HIS GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN HOPING EVER 
SINCE THAT MLF WOULD QUIETLY CAPSIZE OF ITS OWN COMPLEXITY . 
NAUGHTY QUESTIONS . THE BRITISH APPROVE OF ITS PRIMARY AIM, TO 
SATISFY WEST GERMANY'S DEMAND FOR A BIGGER ROLE IN NATO'S NUCLEAR 
DEFENSE, BUT ARGUE THAT THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO BUILD THEIR OWN 
INDEPENDENT POLARIS SUBMARINE FLEET AND CONTRIBUTE AS WELL TO MLF, WHOSE 
20 TO 25 SHIPS ARE EXPECTED TO COST $5 BILLION OVER 
A TEN-YEAR PERIOD . THANKS TO WASHINGTON'S SUCCESS IN SELLING MLF 
TO GERMANY AND THEN TO ITALY, IT SEEMED AT FIRST AS 
IF THE FLEET MIGHT BE BUILT WITH ONLY A TOKEN CONTRIBUTION 
FROM BRITAIN . HOWEVER, WHEN ALDO MORO TOOK OVER AS ITALY'S 
PREMIER-DESIGNATE LAST MONTH, WASHINGTON REALIZED THAT HIS FRAGILE GOVERNMENT IS IN 
NO POSITION TO HONOR ITS COMMITMENT TO SHOULDER MLF'S COST, OR 
EVEN TO PARTICIPATE . THUS THE U.S ., WHICH HAS PROMISED 
TO CONTRIBUTE 40 PER CENT, AND PERSUADED THE GERMANS TO PLEDGE 
ANOTHER 40 PER CENT , HAS FINALLY PUT PRESSURE ON BRITAIN 
. TO WHITEHALL'S DISMAY, WASHINGTON ANNOUNCED ITS TOP MLF EXPERT, ADMIRAL 
CLAUDE RICKETTS, DEPUTY CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, WOULD FLY TO LONDON 
THIS WEEK TO DISCUSS THE GOVERNMENT'S TECHNICAL RESERVATIONS AND SATISFY BRITISH 
COMPLAINTS THAT THEY HAVE SO FAR RECEIVED NOTHING BUT " COMPUTER 
ANSWERS " FROM THE PENTAGON . SAID ONE BRITISH OFFICIAL GLEEFULLY 
: " WE'VE GOT A LOT OF NAUGHTY QUESTIONS . / 
COMPELLING LOGIC . BRITAIN'S MAIN OBJECTION TO MLF IS THAT IT 
IS PRIMARILY A " POLITICAL " SCHEME TO PROMOTE NATO SOLIDARITY 
. HOWEVER, IF BRITAIN DECIDES NOT TO SUPPORT MLF, IT FACES 
ONE OF TWO UNPALATABLE ALTERNATIVES . EITHER THE PROJECT WILL BE 
ABANDONED, WITH THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE GERMANS AND OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS 
WILL ULTIMATELY DEVELOP THEIR OWN NUCLEAR WEAPONS ; OR THE FORCE 
WILL COME INTO BEING ANYWAY, AND IN TIME MAY DEVELOP INTO 
A TRULY EUROPEAN DETERRENT, EXCLUSIVE OF BRITAIN . IN EITHER CASE, 
BRITAIN MIGHT SERIOUSLY STRAIN ITS TIES WITH THE U.S . BY 
REFUSING TO PARTICIPATE . RECALLING THAT ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO 
THE GOVERNMENT ARGUED WITH COMPELLING LOGIC AGAINST MEMBERSHIP IN THE COMMON 
MARKET, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH CONCLUDED LAST WEEK : " WHAT IS 
SO SAD IS THAT ONCE AGAIN WE SEEM TO BE CLIMBING 
RELUCTANTLY INTO A BACK SEAT ON THE BANDWAGON ONLY AFTER IT 
HAS STARTED TO MOVE . / 