Evening star., 1946-05-14
Blum Reports U. 5.
Has Agreed 10 Provide
Reconstruction Credit
By NewboId Moves, Jr.

The United States has agreed to
provide France with credit aid for
her four-year reconstruction pro-
gram according to former French
Premier Leon Blum.
The Socialist party leader in this
country to negotiate a financial
arrangement" told an Overseas
Writers luncheon at the Statler
Hotel yesterday that Government
experts here had approved Frances
plan for reconstruction of her war
torn economy and had agreed to
provide financial aid for that pro-
gram. He said he did not know the
exact amount of aid forthcoming,
but that all except final details of
the arrangement had been decided.
Scrupulously, he avoided use of the
word loan"
Acting Secretary of State Acheson
told a press conference today. with
reference to the Blum mission, that
necessary technical and staff work
had been completed and that "it is
expected negotiations will be con-
cluded shortly" He added he be- !
lieves the Government will fix a
definite figure for the amount of
credit to be granted.
Speaking in French through an
Interpreter, Mr.. Blum had high
praise for what he termed Americas
"delicacy" in handling the negotia-
tions At no point, he said, has the
United States Government sought
to make the granting of credit con-
tingent on any conditions political
or otherwise
Agreed Three Weeks Ago.
He responded to previous Specula-
ton, that Washington would wait
for results of next months French
elections before making up its mind,
with the statement that agreement
in principle was reached three
weeks ago, before results even of the
recent constitutional referendum
were known.
His misSian here was to present
the French reconstruction plan to-
officials in washington and to let
them decide whether they wanted
to help, and in what amount, Mr.. |
Blum said. He added that in sew
eral instances during discussions the i
French had revised their estimates
of financial requirements in the
light of information supplied by
American experts. For example, ne
said. the French had overestlmated
the cost of silk and cotton imports
and of obtaining necessary shipping
space.
Mr.. Blum said he was proud OF the
success of his mission and grateful
for the understanding with which
he had been received here.
Before I left Paris the American
Ambassador invited me to dinner at
the Embassy with group of Ameri-
can correspondents, he said. After
dinner they were careful to warn |
me of the embarrassing question l
would be asked here. They even
presented me with an example, when
Harold Calender of the New York |
Times impersonated President Tru- |
man and asked me what about the
naturalization of industry in
France. AS a result, was we'll pre-
pared for that sort of question. But
the question was not asked here.
No Such Promise Required.
Mr.. Blum said at one point the
State Department did seek assur-
ances that if and where national
ization did take place, Americans
with French investments would be
indemnified for their interest. He
said his government had instructed
him to supply such assurances. but
that at the next meeting a State
Department official told his mi. |
Blum's) assistant not to pay any
attention to the request for assur-
ances
They told us" Mr. Blum said, |
that if l cared to make such a
statement that would be all right,
but that the United States did not ,
want to give the impression that
whatever help was forthcoming |
would be contingent on conditions"
The figure of s4,000000,000 pre-
viously had been mentioned as
Frances estimated international
deficit under her reconstruction
plan. There was no indication yes
terday, however, that Mr.. Blum had
sought or received a promise of
United States aid in that amount
Con4o.o,o-o