In 1949 the Russians were occupying East Germany with no intention of letting it go. Same goes for all the other countries that the Russians later formalized control over in the nonconcensual Warsaw Pact. The Russians were an occupying force when NATO was created. Giving it a cute name later didn’t change anything.
There is no moral equivalency between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Just because the Russians let Germans in East Germany weAR different uniforms doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have them shot if they dared to cross the border. And on a larger scale, no Warsaw Pact country was ever really free to enter or exit the pact.
PATTON WAS RIGHT IN HIS ASSESSMENT OF rUSSIA.