The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-04-09
AVIATION CHIEF
URGES END OF
BAN ON RUSSIA
Resumption of Trade With
SovietS Would Give Jobs
to Thousands.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS
scripps-HOward Foreign Editor


NEW YORK, April 9.-The time
for hysterical thinking and acting
about Soviet Russia is past, Presi-
dent Thomas A. Morgan of the
CurtiSs- Wright Export Corporation
and of the Sperry GUoScope Com
pany declared today.
when millions of American
workers are compelled to live by
charity alone" he said with en-
phasis, and upward of 100000 jobs
could be created producing COM
modities for export to Russia, preju-
dice should be put aside and facts
looked in the face.
II am an American, I was born
in Granville county, North Carolina
1 have served in the armed forces
of my country. I have spent about
twenty years in development of my
country's trade abroad. have
known Russia for nineteen years
both before and since the revolu-
ton.
And yet I say we have nothing
to lose and everything to gain by
establishment of normal relations
with that country.
Would Face Facts
with all the sincerity that is in
me as an American citizen, I want
to say that no company with which
have been associated would have
accepted one dollar of Russian
business if there had been one
scintilla of evidence that it was in
any way harmful to the interests of
our own country.
IT doubt if there is any other
country in the world about which
we, as people, have acquired so
much transformation and so many
misleading ideas. I do not advocate
any of those ideas, but as one born
and raised in this country, I do
advocate a common-sense facing of
the facts.
"Czarist Russia bought about
$24,000,000 worth of our products
annually. Soviet Russian imports
from us rose to peak of nearly
$150000,000 one year. Then some
thing happened. Last year our sales
to the Soviets fell off about so per
cent while Germany's sales went up
81 per cent and England's II per
cent.
Sales on TOboggan
Nov our sales have dropped
something like 95 per cent, while
Germany's are up 112 per cent.
"The answer is simple. The bulk
of Soviet imports from this country
is composed of machinery. When
machinery is sold, the custom is for
buyers to be extended credit to tide
them over until the machinery be-
gins to produce-to bring in returns.
European countries have adjust
ed themselves to meet this situation.
We haven't. BY a system not en-
tirely unlike our Reconstruction
Finance Corporation, they have
mace it possible for their concerns
to extend liberal credit, whereas
Americans, for lack of facilities of
any kind, are having to demand
what amounts to cash.
Uses American Money
"And the irony of it is that
Europe is financing her Russian
trade with American money. And
while the financial pages of daily
newspapers will tell you what is
happening to these European Sc
curities, Soviet Russia has not de-
faulted on a single dollars worth
of commercial orders.
eve therefore are witnessing the
spectacle of American business men
refusing to sell goods to a customer
who always has paid for what he
bought, while financing his almost
bankrupt competitors business with
that same customer. 1t makes one
marvel"