The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-24
Fair Enough
Nv WEsTBRoOK PEGLER
rirht. 1s45, by King Features Syndicate)

Copyright, 1915, by King Features Syno1ca'e)
About year ago I had conversation
with Henry Wallace in Washington IN tne
course of which he tossed off an IDEA tnat
NAV affect your judgment as to whether he
is , man to be trusted with the fabulous
spending powers which President Roosevelt
proposed to entrust to him through the HfC.
Wallaces recollection of his proposal
mine do not agree, and l recognize that
memory is fallible SO, although I will state
nv version 1 will not insist on it.
NV recollection is that he nearly knocked
me through the skylight with the shock OF
casual proposal to build an elght-lane con-
crete highway from New York to Paris by
wav of Alaska, the Aleutians and Siberia.
The purpose was to be unemployment ana,
.tter the highway was ready for use, the
close acquaintance of the peoples along the
ro,te through tourism There was to be only
ono portaee of about 40 miles, up near
siberia.
I was still spinning and trying to think and
decide an objection to offer 1lrst Whetner tne
snow and ice and fog or the probab ilty that
people would be hopping over to Paris IN
few hours, by air, when wallace aooeo 'ha'
of course it was just an IDEA:
This conversation was off the record but
recently wrote him my version OF 1t ana asked
permission to publish it, He has now gwen
this permission but with comments which IN
fairness should be stated fully. He says to be-
gin. that the idea of an eight-lane concrete
highway sounds to me utterly fantastic and
that IT know I never had any idea so unusual
as that
II do know he continues, that have felt
for long time a heavy creditor naHon IKE
the United States, which is very hesltant about
accepting goods from abroad OF greater value
| than it's exports abroad, must take consider
able interest among other things in tourist
trade I therefore, developed the thesis and
gave some publicity to it, that 1t would be
fine thing to have both an airWay and a
highway not only from the United States down
to Buenos Aires but also from the United
States across Siberia to Europe, with feeder
roads into China and India I know that
never had any idea Of an eight-lane road.
II may say, furthermore, that after having
been in northeast Siberia am not altogether
sure about the desrability Of a road of any
kind. However, I would not want to be dog
matte on this point because future develop
ments in technology and science may change
the picture. Physical and climatic difficulties,
however, are much greater than l had sus-
pected.
"1n many areas of the world, airports are
going to be of more Importance than high
ways, undoubtedly, however, airports in many
instances will be serviced by highways radi-
AtlLR 4IOIll "A new KILN VI teCIIlOlO-
gy is in the process of being built now, the
physical manifestations of which no one can
see with complete clarity at this precise mo-
ment The one thing about which I am sure
is that the United States has very great
contribution to make in the form Of the tech
nical understanding of her engineers
Now, from that answer what do you gath
err?
Is he in favor of this highway or against the
idea?
We know he doesn't want one eight lanes
wide, check.
But then he says he developed the thesis
and gave some publicity to it that it would
be fine thing to have. . a highway.
from the United States across Siberia to Eu-
rope, with feeder roads into China and India"
And then again, it didn't occur to him that
| there might be a serious obstacle in the
weather of Alaska, the Aeutians and Siberia
limiting the use of such a road, until he went
to Siberia, in person, although most OF u.s.
| think, would have had mental pictures of
EsklmoS, lglooS and snow left over from our
happy childhood hours with those big flat
geography books But then, again, he doesn't
want to be dogmatc, so l just don't know
how he stands except that there shouldn't
be eight lanes. Should we settle for four lanes
them or two, or just one-way road to ST.
IBERIA?
Don't ask me. You have read his letter.
the business details. 1t seems to be an Ameri-
can enterprise SO would the American people
be taxed to pay for this trunk line, if any.
IN other nations and the feeders to their air
ports, for the sake of the money that might be
spent IN our tourist camps, curio shops, hot
dog stands and retail stores by this tourist
traffic?
What kind of spenders are those gamev
Muzhiks who sew themselves into the union
suits at snowfall and stay there until it drops
on from fair wear and tear in the spring?
What kind of spenders are those Chinese and
what are they going to use for money as
tney go toolng over hospitable land and
is tnere any prospect Of a profitable tourist
trade with 1ndia's millions, usually mentioned
only with the proviso 'teeming,'' who would
| rather starve than eat COW or let a cobra
kill them than kill cobra?
may be unjst to Wallace in pursuing the
subject inasmuch as he leaves us in doubt
finally as to whether he still favors this main
road But, after all it isn't my idea. 1 didn't
think 1t up and stick him with it. It's his.
| We can be sure those Frenchmen won't paw
out as tourists, even it any appreciate num-
Der would make the trip, because they are nom
spenders and the Germans, at this writing,
| seem to be dated up far into the future in
work battaions rebuilding the cities that thew
kicked in. They won't be able to get awav
| Tourist seems wan substitute for solic
commerce, anyway. Mussolini and Hitler built
those great big steamboats, at public expense
and Americans did go tearing around their