Evening star., 1947-11-10
Foreign-Aid ReportHi
For lis Compromise
On Free Enterprise
Horrimun Unit Is Scored
On Nonintervention Stand
As Policy Behind Relief
Bv David Laurence

By David Lavrence
The committee Of 10 distinguished
American citizens advising secre-
tary Of Commerce Hartman on the
program of aid to Europe made, for
the most part, a splendid report, but
1t will not satisfy American public
opinion on the essential point
namely, what assurances will be in
sisted on that the money will be
effectively spent?
Unfortunately the Hartman Com
mittee practically by-passes this
with the same old worn-out doctrine
of nonintervention" in foreign
states that has been the bane OF
American realists every time they
are asked to put up their dollars
and their resources to help another
country.
Evidently, to get unanimity, COM
promise language was adopted. Thus
the Hartman Comittee deliberately
abandons any insistence on the free
enterprise system in the operation
of the Marshall plan. Whether this
was done to cater to the views OF
socialistic governments abroad or tc
satisfy the so-called liberals ir
America, 1t will not satisfy the con-
servatives who must be reckoneo
with If Operation Rathole," as the
Marshall plan is called by its critics
Is to materialize.
Principle Held Sound.
The principle Of aid to Europe is
sound, but the expenditure of from
$4,000 100000 to $17,00o,000 900 from
the United States Treasury calls fol
a little more care than the Hartman
Committee was apparently willing
to give to the method of spending
such an enormous sum.
While the committee calls for the
creation by Congress of the fund tc
European governments and for pro.
duction goals and for piecemeal aic
so a check can be maintained con.
currently on what will be done with
the money, the fact remains that
the goods and funds will be handed
over to some governments in which
the vast body of American business.
men have not the slightest con-.
f1dence.
First and foremost is the debacl'
Of British production to date. Evi
dence piles up that the Labor gov
ernment In Britain has accumulated
more persons on the public payrol
Of its bureaucracy In proportion II
population than any democrac.
has ever had in peactime.
Report is Quoted.
The Hartman Committee sur
rendered to an obsolete sense of dip
lomatic nicely when 1t refused t.
stand up for the free-enterpris
system as the prerequisite to exten
sion OF American aid. Most oh
servers coming back from Europ
are convinced that Britain's effor
to extend her socialistic practices t,
the Ruhr will ruin that areas Goa
production.
Here is the paragraph in the Har
riman Committee report which man.
conservatives will point to as re.
grettable surrender of American
principle:
aid from this country shoulo
not be conditioned on the methods
used to reach these goals, so Ions
as they are consistent with basi'
democratic principles. Continued
adherence to such principles is al
essential condition to continued ait
but this condition should not re
quire adherence to any form o
economic organization or the aban
donment of plans adopted in ant
carried out in free and democrati
way. While this committee f1rml
believes that the American system
of free enterprise is the best metho'
Of obtaining high productivity. !
does not believe that any foreign
aid program should be used as
means of requiring other countrie
to adopt it. The imposition Of an
such condition would constitute a.
unwarranted interference with tn
internal affairs of friendly nations.
Held Business Matter.
The foreign-aid program pre-
sumably is business matter an
proper business methods should b
used to carry it out. The Ameri
can ree-enterprise system is ad
mittedly the best method to ge
high productivity and yet the Har
riman Committee is willing t
acquiesce in methods which
knows in its heart will not &c
the desired productivity.
1t is safe to say the Republican
Party in Congress which repre-
sents common sense conservatism
will not agree to scheme whic
ties the hands of the America
Government and denies it voic
in what methods shall be used Il
applying the money or goods sen
abroad. This would be unprece
dented, OF course. But the ap
preparation of from $4,000, ,000, 90
to $4,000, 100000 of American tax
payers money in time of peace
also unprecedented. Extraordinar
crises call for extraordinar
measures.
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