Evening star., 1945-02-20
Total Of IS Billions
Received by Allies
In Lease-Lend Aid
By ]. A. FOX.

By ]. A. FOX.
In a report which scored the
numerous false rumors" that
civilian shortages in this country
are attributable to shipments
abroad. the Foreign Economic
Administration today told Con-
gress that lease-lend to the Allies
amounted to $36,l70, ,000, 900 as of
December 81, last.
The report, covering the 'final
quarter OF 1914, along with cumu-
lative totals since the mutual aid
program was instituted In March,
1941, was forwarded by Leo T. Crow
ley, FEA administrator, and was
not accompanied by the customary
presidential message.
Deals With Shortages.
Previous reports have gone to
some length to point out that lease
lend takes only a relatively small
proportion of total domestic output.
Today's report reiterated this and
then went further to deal specifi-
cally with the question Of short
ages.
Declaring that lease-lend food re-
quirements took only 8 per cent of
total 1914 production, and adding
that "in spite of widely publicized
food shortages and badly depleted
cfooLc II, food ~ q rL orc fha vAro 70
American civilian had more to eat
during the past year than before the
war;" the report said:
'Lease-lend supplies are allocated
to our Allies only after careful con-
sideration of the needs of our own
armed forces and civilian popula-
ton. Shortages OF civilian goods
in this country have been due
largely to three factors-actual war
induced shortage of materials, pro-
duction facilities or manpower; the
requirements of our armed forces
and domestic civilian demand in
excess of normal prewar supply in
duced by greatly increased con-
Sumer incomes. A fourth factor,
the Importance of which has been
greatly overstated In numerous
false rumors, is the effect of lease
lend"
Military Getting Cigarettes.
Citing the cigarette shortage as a
case in point, the report said that,
despite reports to the contrary, "the
fact is that for every cigarette ex-
ported under lease lend in 1914 we
sent rs to our forces overseas and
smoked IS in this country. Our
total lease-lend shipments of Gig
arettes were equivalent to one
cigarette per week for each adult
civilian in the United States"
Further, 1t was explained, the
cigarettes have gone to military
forces, not civilians, and were
manufactured to foreign specifi-
cations and have not been standard
American brands"
The lease-lend total for the last
year approximated SIS 5,400, ,0O0, 900,
which was nearly $4,000 ,000, 900 over
1943. Shipments in the first half of
the year, when preparations for the
invasion of France were in the
making, reached a new high, the
report said, and, while the ship
ping shortage caused a falling of
later, an upswing was starting again
in December.
Breakdown Cited.
The breakdown since the start of
the program shows $31 ,410, ,000. 900
goods transferred and services
valued at 1922 .0Oo, 900. furnished.
The latter includes such items as
pilot training, ship repairs and con-
of various facilities. Actual
exports were $26.155, 10000
In addition, goods valued at $685.
083 900 were consigned to command
ing generals for distribution, prin-
cipally to the French in North
Africa.
AS an offset, this country received
reverse lease-lend valued at $685.
123,00
"Ninety-eight per cent Of all lease
lend aid has gone to our four major
fighting Allies-the Soviet Union, the
British Commonwealth, China and
France" the report said. THE
remainder has been effectively used
for such purposes as the equipping
OF Norwegian, Dutch, Greek and
Yugoslak merchant ships and air
men, the furnishing of supplies to
Polish and Yugoslav prisoners of
war and the strengthening of our
own hemisphere defenses."
British Empire Gets Most.
The United Kingdom has received
43.3 per cent of lease-lend COM
mitments; the Soviet, 28.4, and
China and India, ST.. No figure Is
shown for France, but 1875 has gone
to Africa, the Middle East and
Mediterranean area. Australia and
New Zealand got a. and Latin
America less than l per cent.
Munitions account for So per cent
of all goods transferred, and petro-
leum S per cent, although some of
this fuel has gone to a common
pool for American and British
airmen.
To the United Kingdom have gone
$500 planes, 12,4O0 tanks, 1900
other ordnance vehicles, 27.000 trucks
and 10,500 other motor vehicles.
Russia has received $4,000 planes,
5000 tanks, $4,000 tons of ex-
plosives, 1900 self-propelled guns,
135, 900 submachine guns, $4,000 pis-
tolls, 1900 halftracks, 5000 motor
evcleS am orn,Orad eco,,t rore
l 700 ordnance service vehicles and
$500 guns, including antiaircraft
guns.
On some parts of the eastern
front. the report saws american