Evening star., 1943-01-03
Post-Wor Imperialism
for America Suggested
By O,Uen L. Scott.

puget message to Congress one COM
pelling reason why the United States is
going to find 1t difficult to return to
isolation after this war. That reason
will be wrapped up in figures.
The President is to tell Congress
during this next week that war is to cost
the United States about Sl0O, ,000, 900 900
in the year that begins July /, 1943. He
Is to disclose that by the end of that
year if no new taxes are enacted, the
national debt will pass 100000 900 O00
Even the most optimistic predictions
are that war will continue past mid
year 1914, so that this country faces the
prospect of a national debt of at least
s250,000 100000 before peace returns
Those figures, by themselves, are difficult
to understand. However, their meaning
for the future is unmistakable.
These big figures mean that the
American people face very high taxes
after the war. Taxes will have to be
high merely to pay interest on the debt
They will have to be higher to pay the
cost OF big Army, Navy and Air Force
which will be required both to help police
the world and to provide insurance
against a repetition of the experience of
recent years. Then, If the United States
intends to try to get along by itself in the
world, the war probably would be fol-
lowed by need for vast new pump-priming
enterprises to assure against violent de-
preston and this would mean more debt
and the need for more taxes.
However, that Is not necessarily the
most important meaning to be found in
the big figures that Mr.. Roosevelt is to
reveal to the Nation.
Those figures show, above all, that the
United States is making an immense
investment to win the war. That in
vestment in money alone is far greater
than any other nation is making. 1t is
represented in important part by a lend
lease contribution to the British, Rus
slams, Australians and others. The in
veStment in lives of American men is
almost certain to be greater than that
by any other nation on our side. except
Russia.
In word, this country is pouring and
Is about to pour out vast investment
IN lives and in dollars to win war and
to obtain what the Nation hopes can be
an extended peace.
All of this ads up to the fact, now
beginning to be realized by more and
more members of Congress, that if the
United States makes this immense IN
Vestment and then does nothing to
protect 1t or to see that other nations
service that investment by working for
US, the burden will become a great
handicap. The real problem confront
ing this country will be one of irving
to organize the world in such a way
that all peoples will have to work to
bear part of the war cost.
Otherwise, instead of losing an in
vestment of $4,000 lives and s26,oOo,-
100000, as was the case In the last war
the loss will be many more lives than
that and in terms of dollars il will be
far more than 100000 900 900. This
country might find it difficult to with
stand the effects of another war IS or 20
years after this one and still retain any,
thing like its present economic and
political organization.
AS result, it is dawning upon officials
who have the planning to DO, that two
developments will have to follow the
present war If the United States is to
avoid another war
One Of these DEVELOPMENTS will have
TO be acquisition Of permanent air and
naval bases at key points all around the
world. This will have to be particularly
true in the Pacific, where it will be neces-
sary Tor the United States to insist upon
dominant strategic position for its air
ana naval forces. In the Atlantic. con-
troll may be shared with Great Britain.
The second of the developments will
nave to be revival of investment in
newer areas of the world if not in
Europe itself. There is much talk of
international WPAs and of other
agencies through which the United
States would give away its resources after
this war. Even President Roosevelt has
limited at share the wealth program on
world basis, with this country doing
the sharing. Congress, however, is very
cool to this type of fandout operation
which solves nothing. The alternative
Is revival OF investment, probably pri-
vate investment with some Government
guarantee, that would promote develop
ment OF world resources and would per-
nit the United States to share in the
profit OF that development
Need is for some organization of world
affairs that will enable the United
States, in the role of banker and of en-
ployer, to reap some return on the
immense investment now being made in
world stability. The difficulty is that of
convincing some important groups in
the United States that they actually will
be better of if they let other people work
and develop and pay their debts in the
goods they produce than if they insist
upon an isolated position for this
country.
Many officials are coming to realize
that they will get farther with the
American people by showing them how
they can realize a profit on an invest
ment than they will by trying to sell
them on the joys of being a perpetual
Santa Claus. People are convinced that
they were defrauded by friends, allies
and enemies alike after the last war,
and they are not apt to be in mood
to repeat the performance
The alternative to military dominance
for the United States in the Atlantic
and Pacific, coupled with a program of
development for Latin America and for
the Far East, will be return to large