Evening star., 1940-01-17
British Debt Policy
Held Shortsighted
Wiser Course Would Have
Assured American Aid
Now, Writer Soys

Assured American AID
Now, Writer Says
TO the Editor Of The Star:
The majority Of the citizens Of the
United States are admittedly British.
They are pro-British in spite Of the debt
reputation policy Of England. The
United States and England have COM
mon heritage, Of course. They have 50
much in common that indicates a unity
of purpose and action. The Americans
regard the British as great people,
highly cultured and humane people. But
Americans also realize that to be an
upper-class Englishman is not always
analogous to being an astute diplomat, as
the English would have the world be-
ieve.
Surely those of England high in off,
cial circles see now how Finland is bene-
fitting from the fact that she has paid
her debt to the United States and thus
kept her credit good. Surely they real
ize by now that the allies might even
have been given forceful assistance by
the United States in their present con-
flict to end all that is undesirable in the
world-all that threatens civilization
had they treated Americans with little
more respect and consideration following
the World War.
But instead, just the opposite treat
ment was accorded the United States.
For some inexplicable reason England
held grudge against the United States
following the World War. Americans
were not considered or treated on a par
with the English-by the English. Even
the clever, If not always accurate, Brit
ish writer's sought almost continually to
impress Americans with British leader
ship, and missed no opportunity for a
quip at the United States. Ann Bridges,
for instance, in her Atlantic Monthly
prize winning novel, "Peking Picnic"
had her sophisticated English heroine
>HSA&AAA DSAeeAAA6iJ. LAW AlCl CulHlC
Americans are, really and then con-
tinue throughout the book in that vein,
as we'll as lift superior eyebrow every
chance she had at the "gauche" Ameri-
can novelist who was trying so hard to
get on with the elite of the Foreign Le-
cation in Peiping. And we cannot forget
how Great Britain received suggestions
from the United States during the Man
churian crisis in 1882, nor how she
treated American capitalists in Persia,
or American statesmen at Geneva.
And now Lord Beaverbrook claims that
the impossible" funding plan of
the United States forced Britain off the
gold standard. He criticizes Andrew
Mellon for his attempt at trying to COL
lect the war debt. 1t should never have
been suggested by the United States in
the first instance, nor expected, that
Great Britain would pay it. He criti-
cizes Baldwin because he forced Britain
to undertake to pay the debt, and points
out that President Wilson and others
had encouraged Britain to think the
war debts would be Cancelled and that
the money was contribution in lieu Of
immediate man power
Perhaps there is grim accuracy in
some of the observations of Lord Beaver
brook, but there is likewise the prob
ability that today there would be genu-
inc amity between the United States and
Britain, and that the allies would be re-
garded with more manifest friendship
and respect and treated with generosity
by all Americans had England come out
frankly at the time Baldwin "erred" and
said automatically:
please don't take our last ounce Of
gold and drive us from the gold stand
ard. 1t will be to your ultimate interest
to bear with us in our present financial
crisis and not press for settlement in
gold We have far-f1ung empire in
cluding holdings in the Western Hemi-
sphere. Take your choice of them in
lieu of the money we owe you. You
helped us immensely when we needed
you. You asked nothing at the time the
treaty of Versailles was drawn. We
shall be eternally grateful to you. We
know We have common heritage, and
that you would help US again II 1t ever
became necessary"
America is magnanimous. She Is even
. gracious giver when she isn't forced to
give. And doubtless had the British
made diplomatic gesture of willingness
to do the fair thing in settling their debt,
Bermuda and other British possessions,
which they might have offered to the
United States, would still be a part Of
the British Empire, and the United
States might be giving aid to the allies
Gust as she is to Finland) In their war
TO END HltlerlSm. D. D. D.
January 8.