The Wilmington morning star., 1946-07-15
Fair Enough
BY WEsTBNOOK PEGLER

cate, Inc.)
E YORK. July IA - I believe l have dis
covered IN the Treasury Department in Wash
ington d public servant who personifies that
seElessness and modesty which the late Mr..
Roosevelt desired in a staff of assistants with
a passion for anonymity.
Harry D. White, an assistant secretary of
the treasury, is a co-author Of the Breton
Woods plan for an international Bank of Re-
construction and Development and for an In
ternationa! Monetary Fund, imposing stupen-
dous financial obligations on the American
people, and has been an adviser to President
Roosevelt and Truman and to Congress on
these matters.
Few ct those who will assume those respon-
sibilities, perhaps burdens, for themselves and
future Americans, know anything about either
the bank or the fund or the arguments against
both but particularly against the fund. The op-
ponents have said that the fund would put the
American taxpayer In the position of under
writing social experiments, or boon-doggles
in other countries, that it would establish a
superstate and would permit opportunistic
governments of poor nations to drop LOUIS in
the cash-register and take out American dol
lars with which to buy American food and
manufactured articles.
Mr.. White, on the other hand, has explained
that the purpose of the fund is to expand a
balanced international trade at flexible rates
OF exchange. AS to social experiments. or
"prograns,' as he prefers to call them, which
adversely affect the currency Of the nation
which tries them, he insists that the manage
ment If his fund has no right to object, al
though here, again, Americans might pay
pensions tc British, French and Russian citi-
zens.
The articles Of agreement OF Breton Woods
are complex and obscure but it is agreed that
tho limited C+otac or {ha ~rioa - 81 ,Io~ehin't
in the world of the future, should deal gener-
ously with the rest IN the hope that other gov
rnment would deal conscientiously with us
and resist all temptation to maintain their
popularity with their subjects by the distribu-
ton Of benefits at American expense.
The proposals were promoted by a vigorous
propaganda disseminated by the treasury
under Henry Morgentnau, at public expense
and under conditions of questionable legality
and by the CLOS Political Action Committee
and its subsidiaries. Mr.. White, himself. ma.
turally, has been one of its most vehement
not to say impatient, advocates.
AS one OF its authors, in collaboration with
the late Lord Keynes, of England, certainly
an unorthodox e%sonomist, he has exercised an
influence of enormous Importance to all Ameri-
cans now living, few Of whom have ever heard
of him and to millions YET TO be born, who
might never hear Of him, either, were he to
be ignored now.
Yet, il response to an inquiry about the re-
ticent biography of DR.. Harry D. White, pub
lished IN Who's Who In America, he explained
that it is brief because II teel that long bio
graphies in Who's Who are evidence of obsten-
tation except in those cases where a person is
a really important public figure"
He states that he was born Harry D. White
in Boston, on Oct. 20, 1892, of parents who had
immigrated from Europe early in the '80's.
My interest sprang from the fact that a
witness who spoke against his plan before the
Senate Banking Committee and, I thought in
sensible and convincing terms, had noted for
the record the meagreness of the information
in Who's Who concerning so large a man in
American affairs. l was mindful of the fact
that the communists in our country have a
practice Of Disgusting themselves in changing
their names and planting themselves in in
fluential positions in the government and in
the unions, particularly those Of the CLIO. The
Roosevelt administration was cordial to them
and, far from thanking the Dies Committee for
exposing instances of penetration. gave aid and
comfort tc the conspiracy against the coun-
try's economy and inlefnal security by try
ing to discredit the committee.
l do rot suggest that D1. Whi:e is a com.
munist or friendly to them or their policies. 1
do agree with some who have examined his
plan that it seems likely to favor other nations
to our own serious damage but freely grant
that there is room here fer an honest difference
of opinion even among highly qualified ex-
perts. The record shows that there is and that
they do but it shows further that the Treasury
took an aggressive position in favor of legisla-
ton, which by then hal become the business
OF Congress in an attempt to induce the citi.
zens, by partisan and ircomplete arguments,
to lntinicate Congress into compliance. DR..
Whites own financial position would be great
ly improved at a larger salary when he left
the Treasury to become a director of the fund.
The Mead I'M recently has shown
that men whose records and character should
have disqualified them from positions of trust
were put in a position to shake down immi-
grants and crooked nlanipulators Of securities
and the list of impudent criminals who were
allowed to seize control OF unions and were
courted by politicians If a melancholy record
of carelessness. It is prudent always to inquire
as we sometimes fail to do,
Whether for great and permanent good or
irretrievable loss, Doctor White, with his plan
for an International pool of money to which
this country will make the greatest individual
contribution, may become one of the giants of
American history. It has seemed to me, there
fore. that we should know him better and
am pleased to make his closer acquaintance
and, so, as the toastmasters say, I give you
DR.. Harry D. White.
QUOTATIONS