Evening star., 1944-04-26
lease-L Program
More Vital Than Ever,
Crowley Declares

4
Foreign Economic Admins
traitor Leo T. Crowley told the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee today the lease-lend pro-
gram must be continued until
the United Nations armies
finally march down the streets
of Berlin and Tokyo"
Appearing in support of House
approved legislation extending
lease-lend another year, Mr.. Crow
ley, who directs the vast program
under which $22.500 ,000, 900 in war
materials have been sent to the
Allies, declared: ...
ITO achieve final victory-and to
achieve it at the earliest possible
moment and at the least cost in
lives-it is now more essential than
ever that the United Nations con-
tinue to combine their material
resources through lease-lend and
mutual aid.
"Only if we supply the Soviet
Union with more planes. tanks, guns
and ether supplies can she strike
with fullest effect new and mighty
blows from the east while we strike
from the south and west.
Other Needs Cited.
"Only with an ever-lncreaSing
volume of aid can China become the
great land base from which we can
strike at the heart of Japan. Only
lif we continue to help arm the air.
men, the soldiers and the sailors of
Britain and our Allies can they play
their full part by our sides in the
Iinvasions to come"
Mr.. Crowley said in lease-lend
report last night that in the first
60 days of 1914 more than 2,100
lplanes, almost 2,000 tanks and more
than $4,000 other military motor
vehicles, including tank destroyers,
trucks and jeeps, had been sent to
four Allies fighting the Germans and
Japanese.
"On the Russian front, Soviet
airmen are flying Mitchell B-25's,
Douglas A-20's, Thunderbolts, Aira-
cobras and Curtiss Warhawks side
by side with planes produced In
Soviet factories" his report said.
Australian, British, Chinese, Dutch
and Indian airmen are flying Ameri-
can as we'll as British planes against
the Japs in Burma and the South
west Pacific.
with the help of tens of thou
sands of our trucks, the Red Army
was able to keep smashing ahead in
spite of rapidly lengthening supply
lines. - Lease-lend General Sher-
man tanks operated by Russian tank
crews were in the thick OF fighting
alongside Soviet-produced tanks"
White Sees Approval. d
Before today's hearing, Acting
Senate Majority Leader White said
that in lease-lend the Senate has "a
bear by the TAIL" and probably won't
let go.
He asserted the bill to extend
the lease-lend program for another
Year, has almost unanimous back
ing of both Republican and Demo-
cratic Senate leaders, and that he
expects mo organized opposition" to
the House-approved measure.
There is q feeling among some
Republican members of the Senate
that we have been profiigate in some
instances with respect to 1ease-lend,'
Senator White said, "but at the
same time it is generally agreed that
the program has become an integral
part OF the war effort and must be
continued"
a Meanwhile, Senator Clark. Demo1
crat, Of Missouri, who was q leading
foe of the original Lease-Lend Act
in 1941, said he also would back the
extension bill because Tn now con-
vinced it will be q means of winning
the Wsr sooner q ., Il
II opposed leAse-lend in the be-
ginning because we weren't in the
war, and I believed it might lead
us into war" Senator Clark said.
Now that we are in I believe that
the program is helping us to win
lit and should be continued. II
wouldn't be surprised if there were
no opposing votes on final passage
in the Senate"
The bill passed the House, 334 to
I21, a week ago. Chairman Con-
nally Of the Senate Foreign ReIa-
tions Committee said he believed
the committee would send it to the
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