Evening star., 1934-11-25

dog around-in Europe.
~ That is to say, it is becom-
ing increasingly unpopular
and bit embarrassing these days for
certain diplomats, industrialists and
economists-and even newspapers-to
belittle, or actually misrepresent the
Roosevelt administrations various and
sundry monetary and relief schemes
Not that certain circles in the politi-
cal, financial and economic life of
the Old World are coming to like
Washingtons many puppies any bet
ter, but they are having trouble in
convincing a skeptical public that
they are all, from N. R. A. to ky 2,
just nondescript ours.
The change in the attitude of open
hostility, which ruled some months
ago, to fearful apprehension or joyous
expectancy which exists today. has
come about gradually. 1t is due to
several factors. First perhaps to the
influences of several thousands of
American visitors. Second. to the
voices of American Ambassadors,
Ministers and consular officials, which
are becoming more and more audible,
and third, but far from least, to the
activity OF the American delegation
Of observers to the last conference of
the international labor Office.
American visitors to Europe are
amazed at the seeming ignorance
which exists in France, Switzerland,
Holland, Germany, Italy and even
England over what has happened, is
happening and promises to happen in
the United States. The ideas as to
what lies behind President Roosevelt's
anti-depression policies are even more
fantastic. They range all the way
from Communism to dictatorship.
Anxious to Discredit.
After a few weeks around Paris,
Geneva, Amsterdam or Berlin the
amazement of the average tourist
turns to resentment. Not since the
time when the Rothermere Press Of
London created "Uncle Shylock" to
aid the war debt campaign have the
powers that be in Europe been so
anxious to discredit the American
Government in the eyes of their re-
spective publics. For them every
thing that has happened in the
financial, economic, commercial, or
even political sphere overseas has
either been inspired from ulterior
motives or is proving gigantic
failure-a failure which is going to
bring additional hardship and suffer-
ing to Europe's already respondent
millions.
For example, it is the rich and
powerful United States which is seek
ing to push the French government
off the gold standard, the French
peasant and petit bourgeoise are told.
The average Frenchman-eXcluding
the workers who haven't anything
anyway-does not want to devalue
his currency. The Poincare govern
ment did that once before and re-
duced his savings, in gold value, by
30 percent. But in damning the
United States for having devaluated
the dollar the French industrialists
and hnanciers are not pointing out
that 1t would be American commerce,
and not Frances, which would be
affected adversely if exchange rates
were readjusted.
But, to get back to 'Uncle Shy
lock-" The reason for that SLAM
derous campaign, which ended as
abruptly as it began, with an apology
from Lord Rothermere and a dis
claimer of all responsibility for the
actions of his editorial employees
(some of whom were fired upstairs)
was obvious. It's counterpart in
France, Italy and other defaulting
countries was equally easy to explain.
Governments and financial circles
wished to prepare the populace for
repudiation-and then tell Washing
ton that they had been driven to
default by their peoples.
Washington Blamed.
There have been other occasions
when it was found desirable to blame
Uncle Sam for embarrassing situa-
tions. During the Chinese-Japanese
controversy over Manchuria, for ex-
ample, Washington was first held
responsible for the Leagues i'm
potency, and later Sir John Simon
sought to have the Japanese believe
that the League acted under pressure
from the United States. Yosuke
Matsuoka, American-educated spokes-
man for Toxic, knew differently,
however, and Sir Johns hopes died
aborning.
And in the Disarmament Confer
ence. which is slowly expiring after 80
months of forced feeding, it is also
Washington which is to blame If the
United States would only agree to a
mutual assistance pact with France,
all might be wen-but would it? The
chances are 10 to l that even an
Anglo-French-AM entente would
not be regarded as sufficient security
to justify the French G.. H. @. in
scrapping its military machine. It
took the clever Salvador de Madaraga,
former director Of the Leagues dis
armament section, and former Ambas-
sador to both Washington and Paris,
to lay the original sin at Americas
door. If the United States had rati-
fled the Versailles. treaty, accepted the
covenant and entered the League, rea-
sons De Madaraga, then Italy would
not have bombarded Corfu, Japan
would not have raped Manchuria and
Germany would not have withdrawn
~ Jill cAAC A>4oo4 41l1dlllCtlt
But here again one is justified in
having serious doubts as to the sound
ness of European reasoning.
The most recent, and perhaps most
insidious, drive against things Ameri-
can, however, has been the antag-
onism, particularly noticeable in gold
bloc countries. According to newspa-
pers. financial authorities and even
officials, nothing that has developed
out of the Roosevelt financial, eco
nomic and social policies will endure.
The N. R. A., the codes, the c. w. A.,
etc., ETC., are at the best palliatives-
dope which will leave the American
public with an awful headache for
years to come.
Again the reason behind the criti-
cism-or Misrepresentation OBJ
vious. Just as the arms barons of
Europe pray nightly, Give us this
day our daily war scare" so do the
European industrialists, landed pro-
prietors and coupon-clipping class get
down on their knees and pray that the
American social experiment will fail.
Why2