Evening star., 1944-08-25
Letters to The Star
Allied Industrial Commission
Proposed for Axis Countries

Proposed for Axis Countries
70 ths Editor Of The star:
The representatives Of the Great
Powers are meeting at Dumbarton Oaks
10 discuss the problems Of postwar se.
curity. Unquestionably, this u most
cpportune time for such discnssion,
but those representatives must remem-
ber that we heard . lot about security
after the last war. We heard Z lot
about 1t. yet the world got no security.
II We travel the same road that we
travelled then, and we appear to be do
ing so, we will get, no security after this
war any more than we did after the last.
We need not try to fool ourselves
about why. We frankly must admit
that the main reason was that we
thought entirely in terms of arma.
n.ents and alliances and ignored en-
tirely the real things which alone give
the modern world the kind of security
1t needs. The world can have no Sc
curity without economic prosperity, and
1t can have no economic prosperity SO
long as private industry, through its
policy OF monopolies and cartels is al
lowed to stifle competition and keep
prices entirely out of line with the cost
Of production. We cannot have world
prosperity as long as private industry
in the highly industrialized countries Is
allowed to keep the smaller countries Of
the world in state of backwardness
and not have them as competitors. We
can have no world prosperity 50 long as
continental Europe is "balkanized" into
Independent economic entities, in which
nationalism and other factors are used
to build trade barriers that keep them
from developing their resources for the
benefit OF the people of all Europe.
We cannot have continental Europe
cut into these tiny segments because
they then are easy prey for the cartel
makers and other forces making for
private monopoly.
If we are to have world prosperity,
continental Europe must be an economic
unit and its agricultural and industrial
possibilities developed on the basis Of
supplying the entire area with the
goods and services its people need.
The highly industriaNzed nations, es-
pecially the United States and Great
Britain, must provide the credit and
machinery and other supplies, for the
building up of the industrial resources
OF the rest Of the world, China, India,
South America, Africa and the Near
East are all areas which have ire.
mendous natural resources, and are
ripe for the kind of industrial develop
ment that would bring prosperity and
real security to the whole world.
The Near East. especially, is ripe for
such development 1t has been one Of
the sore spots" of the world between
the two wars, solely because it needed
and did not get that kind OF develop
ment.
In Europe, in fact throughout the
world, there can be no victor and no
vanquished nations. We can have no
security in the world II we allow such
division to be made. Those who feel
that we must punish" the conquered
nations forget that in so doing we only
punish" ourselves by laying the ground
work for a new and more destructive
var.
If Europe is to have the kind of
prosperity which will give it the security
1t must have, the industries of Ger
many must be restored and developed
to their fullest potentialities, so they
can be used to provide the rest of
Europe with the consumer and capital
goods needed. If we are to accomplish
this, We need to make sure that the
industries Of Germany are not left In
the hands of those who would use
them as the basis for cartelizing and
monopolizing the trade of Europe and
the world.
Probably, the most practical plan for
meeting the situation would be the
setting up of an inter allied industrial
commission to take charge of the in
dustries of the Axis countries and to
supervise the restoration and develop
ment OF the agricultural and industrial
possibilities OF Europe. This commits
sion might well be composed Of repre-
sentatives of industry. agriculture and
labor in each of the major allied coun-
tries.
There is every indication that the
majority of the people of Europe would
welcome such an organization and give
It their whole-hearted support, and
there is every indication that it would
bring to Europe the kind of peace and
prosperity needed to give security to
Europe and to the world.
CLARENCE ARMSTRONG.
Raltim0re Md