Evening star., 1947-11-11
Businessmen S Stand
On Marshall Aid Plan
Clarified by NAM
Group Indorses Project
But Coils for Safeguards
Against Money Waste
Bv David Laurence


tial number of American business
men stand on the Marshall plan has
been removed by the statement OF
policy presented to President Tru-
man by the National Association OF
Manufacturers.
This group insists that, while the
plan Is good in principle. Americas
willingness to pour billions into
Europe should be conditioned on
safeguards against waste OF the
money.
It is significant that the NAM
statement differs materially from
that filed by the Presidents Com
mittee of 10 Citizens, who unques-
honably wrote automatically
phrased document in Difference to
the wishes Of the State Department.
No hesitancy appears in the NAM
statement, which frankly calls for
aid to those countries which believe
in and are willing to utilize the
free enterprise" system and
limitation on any aid for countries
seeking further programs of
naturalization"
Committees Stand.
The Hartman Committee Of 10
argued that 1t wasn't the province
of the United States to interfere In
internal" affairs by specifying that
the free enterprise" system be en-
couraged. At the same time, the
committee did not hesitate to EMU
merate q number Of controls and
checks which really amount to
Intervention anyway.
The truth is the NAM statement
k the more realistic of the two be-
cause 1t recognizes that American
citizens are being asked to save
Europe from communism when, at
the same time, some of the govern
ments in Europe already are en-
barked on policies Of socialism
which to American minds are not
very far from communistic doc
trine-at least, they are hostile to
the idea of private enterprise.
The recommendations made by
the NAM are bound to be con-
sidered seriously by Congress be-
cause they reflect the viewpoint of
many businessmen and others of a
conservative viewpoint in both the
Democratic and Republican Parties.
The problem is wholly nonpartisan
and there is no doubt that, If billions
are going to be voted, some restric-
tions upon the spending of the
money must be applied.
Among these are the following, as
suggested by the NAM:
That the participating nations
evidence their intent to stabilize
their etlrrencies, balance their budg-
cts and place their fiscal policies on
q sound basis.
That the countries take and en-
force adequate measures to insure
maximum domestic production.
That the countries work toward
O. restoration Of free international
payments.
That the countries make rea-
sonable use OF their own realizable
gold and foreign exchange assets.
That the countries refrain from
re-exporting products received un-
der the United States aid program,
and from exporting identical prod
ucts produced domestically. -
Nationalized Projects.
That during the period Of eco
nomic aid the participating coun-
tries should not undertake any
further naturalization projects, or
initiate projects which have the
effect OF destroying or inpairing
private competitive enterprise, and
thus retard their economic progress.
That insofar as practicable,
United States aid should be ex-
tended to private competitive en-
terprises In the foreign countries
instead OF to governments or their
agencies"
There were other recommends
tions but the main theme Is an in
sistence that government cartels
and nationalized enterprises should
not be given American aid directly
or indirectly and that sums given
by the United States should not
be used to finance deficits created
by inefficient handling of budgets,
taxes or production.
The NAM speaks for a substan-
hal number Of business men While
the final official agreements with
the participating countries will
probably, for reasons of domestic
pride, contain few OF the above
suggestions, the same result may
be achieved by informal agree
ments. Performance or non-per-
formance would then have a bear
ing on the continuance Of aid, be-
cause the four-year program Is to
be handled on an tnstallment basis
anyway and Congress will have to
vote many times on separate appro-
priations.
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