Evening star., 1946-07-12
Letters to The Star
Disasrees With Mr.. Eliot's Views
= C.. e Al.


George Fielding Eliot, In his article,
Troops to Palestine" published in
your issue of July 8, has reduced the
Palestine problem to the lowest possible
level To him the question is simply
whether the Arabs can be coerced with
difnculty or with ease into accepting
100000 Jews into Palestine.
The first "fact" on which Mr.. Eliot
bases his whole argument is that unless
these 100000 Jews go to Palestine very
shortly they all must die. If this is not
the case. then the rest of his argument
is invalid. 1t is not at all clear to me,
however, tnat the choice which lies
before the world is one between remov-
ing the 100000 Jews to Palestine or
letting them die. There are many pos
sible solutions and remedies for the
plight Of these unhappy people, and to
suppose that they must go to Palestine
and to Palestine alone is ridiculous.
Mr. Eliot appears to believe the Arabs
would be less likely to resist the British
and the Americans than they would the
British alone. This Is not the case.
The resistance which the Arabs would
offer, if any attempt is made to impose
the 900 Jews upon them, will be based
not upon the calculation of what force
it will meet, but on the firm conviction
that there is no other course left open
TO them.
Instead of advocating overpowering
the Arabs by force, why does not Mr.
Eliot advocate that 100000 visas to the
United States be issued to the refu-
gees? This country contains the largest
Jewish popula ton in the world. The
refugees would be assured of a hearty
welcome and would f1nd here the peace
and security which they need, whereas
their arrival in Palestine certainly
would not be peaceful and their pres
ence there never would be secure
If the west loves a debt of blood" to
the Jews. is 1t not dishonest to force
the Arabs tc pay the debt, and sit back
complacently at home calculating how
much or how little resistance the Arabs
will be likely to make?
C. A. HOURANI,
Secretary. the Arab ONCE.
MIR. Lawrence and the OPA
To the Editor Of The Star;
David Lawrence, in his July column,
cited the still unshattered price line as
evidence that OPA Is unnecessary This
is the purest nonsense. No bureaucrat
union member housewife or other indi-
vidual who favors extension of price
control ever has assumed that a dev-
astating imitation would burst upon the
Nation the very instant price control
expired. particularly during what is ex
pected to be only a temporary lapse.
Moreover, Mr. Lawrence's comments
are grossly insulting to the great ma
jority of fair-minded businessmen in
this country who in response to the
Presidents appeal, can be expected to
hold the price line until unlimited de-
mand and a spiral of rising costs make
such action impossible.
In the same column, Mr. Lawrence
market as evidence that the absence
of price restrictions will provide more
goods for the public to buy
Actually, this is evidence only of
something even such ostriches as Mr..
Lawrence nave known for some time
that meat deliberately has been with
held from the market in desperate
effort to break price control and now
Is being released at time when few
more pennies can be squeezed from the
purse OF the helpless consumer
Without price control, or even with
the kind OF price control provided by
the phoney Taft-Wherry formula, this
kind of sellers strike against the public
would be repeated again and again
every time a suspension of sales would
net higher profits. The history Of in
fation wherever it has occurred dem
onstrates clearly that constantly rising
prices cause both boarding and panic
buying. thus draining the market of
practically all commodities.
Mr. Lawrence has been right, per-
haps, in MS insistence that wage con-
trols should have been retained. There
is no doubt that their removal created
serious price problems. Even so, OPA
has been able until now to keep prices
at reasonable levels and at the same
time to permit the highest gross profits
and the highest volume of production
In peacetime American history. Mr.
Lawrence's apparent belief, however
that the elimination of wage controls
justif1es the removal or the debilita-
ton OF price control makes about as
much sense as a doctor prescribing am
putation of both legs to cure house
maids knee. MRS. E. A. N.
Initiate Soviet Tactics?