Detroit evening times., 1945-08-07
paul
NIALLON
Behind
The News

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6-The
w off-stage cue music for the
Potsdam conference was far
less melodious and more subtle
than MIR. Truman offered at the
piano.
Our score was written with
the dollar sign over the clef.
The pitch was strictly the har-
monious rattling of gold dollars.
AS soon as Mr.. Truman arrived
at the meeting, the Senate here
was hastily put TO fiddling up:
$5, 100000 which is our
part in the Breton Woods bank
and currency program of $l6,-
0O0,000.000 TO guarantee inter-
national loans and peg wavering
monies.
%,375,0 100000 for lend-lease
for the current fiscal year (Rus-
sia said she woufd like To have
S700,000,000 TO start, and Brit
ain has indicated unofficially
she will need S3,000,000,0 900
from some place TO get settled
financially.
$3,500,000,000 for the Export
Import Bank, of which $2,800,-
100000 is an increase TO finance
foreign purchases.
$l,000,000,000 for army relief
abroad (eStimated needl.
S900,000,000 as a total for re-
lief and rehabilitation of
-GNRRA, of which S7oo, ,06e, 600
has been put up in cash already
to meet a total authorization of
81 ,350,000,000.
TOTAL, which no one seems
Il TO have added before, is
SIS, ,700,000,000 for the greatest
foreign spend lend program
ever conceived in the mind Of
man. After the last war, we
poured out a billion a year in
foreign loans.
1t was MIR. Roosevelt'S finance
agents who figured it would be
an improvement this time TO
take the money from the treas
ury, although any losses will
fall on the average struggling
or poor and rich taxpayers,
whereas before it fell upon
those citizens with enough spare
money to buy foreign bonds as
an investment. Mr.. Rooseveit's s
agents also were responsible for
the decision to handle the for
eign spend-lend program sep
arately from the political nego-
tiations for peace,
| JUDGING from the timing of
- the rush imposed upon the
congressional appropriations, my
guess is Mr.. Truman will be less
inclined to keep the money ac-
counts separate from the polit-
lcal accounts, as money is about
the only persuasive power we
seem able to WELD in Europe.
Our check book is the only
card we hold. There may be
other changes. A labor govern
ment, pledged to naturalization
Of the Bank of England, will re-
quire closer scrutiny of its ac-
count than the Churchill gov
ernment pledged at least to
strict tabulation.
Indeed, the United States
may have TO reconsider its
financial arrangements with
Britain. Zone senator tells me
Congress would never have
passed Breton Woods, had it
known it would be faced with
money Specialization in Britain Of
an unknown quantityD Attlee
has indicated he intends TO pay
for the coal mines in bonds, for
instance, which will certainly
add to Britain's financial pre-
dicament, already deficient, and
the United States hardly in
tends TO be placed in the posi-
tion of furnishing the Labor
government the money 10
finance such undertakings.
A LESS emotional and more
"A accountable policy toward
money-to-Britain therefore must
surely follow as matter of
course. With the excellent pros
poets Of Communist victory in
the promised fall French cleo
tions, changes in governments
of Greece and Spain urged by
Britain ad Russia, etc, the mat
ter of using our money sensibly
TO protect our ideals, if not the
money, becomes visible, 10 say
the least.
This American money cue for
Potsdam was heightened up
harmoniously when Mr.. Truman
Unexpectedly called in Admiral
Land, who has charge of our
ships land we have many times
more ships than any one in the
world. and when Mr.. Truman
announced: America seeks no
territorial expansion" but as
far as the reports showed. Rus
Sia said nothing and Britain
1 said nothing.
THE Russian music was a lit
Il tie less clear in tone, and
at times reminiscent Of h 2
Horstwessel. Pravda, whic h
functions on strings. claimed
the Jews had attacked Russian
citizens in Palestine, which was
denied by Palestine. A few days
| lainr Tho Cu,irr dnnind H.. l. a