Evening star., 1947-09-11
Time for Action

Secretary Marshalls statement on
Europe makes it seem virtually certain
that President Truman will have to call
special session of Congress to act on
program of emergency aid. This should
clear the air of much of the confusion that
has surrounded the subject for the past
several dayS-ever since UnderSecretary OF
State Lovett first suggested that the Sen
ate and House would have to come back.
The confusion has stemmed largely from
the contrast between grave reports about
the crisis and the seeming calm of top
administration officials and congressional
leaders. In addition to Mr.. Lovett's grim
remarks, there has been a great volume of
informed but unofficial warnings on the
subject, and there have been impressive
cries of distress from Britain and Western
Europe, including London's appeal to have
the United States absorb most of the
British occupation costs in Germany.
Meanwhile, though, the American people
have heard the influential Senator Taft
now on a domestic political tour-belittle
the urgency of the situation and declare
against a special session. Similarly, al
though Senator Vandenberg has put it up
to the President to decide whether there
should be such session, the President
has said nothing on his leisurely home
ward voyage from Brazil aboard the battle
ship Missouri.
Mr.. Truman certainly has merited this
restful cruise and very probably it is not
preventing him from keeping up to the
minute with European developments But
still, coupled with the effects of such ILL.,
considered statements as Senator Taft's,
his silence and vacation paced return to
the country have tended to give the i'm
preston that economic conditions abroad
may not be as bad as painted and that
a special congressional session may there
fore be unnecessary. Secretary Marshall,
however, now has made clear that such an
impression is false, and by plain implica
tion-though not directly-he has said
that the Senate and House will have to
reconvene before their regular meeting in
January if "intolerable hunger and cold"
handmaidens of disorder and collapse, are
to be averted in Europe.
AS Mr.. Lovett declared last week, and as
the Secretary of State has just confirmed
in more specific language, the trouble boils
down to this: Primarily because of "actS of
God"-such as drought and an unusually
severe winter-the economic comeback of
Britain and Western Europe has been de-
layed more than expected food and fuel
are urgently needed, but the stricken
countries are rapidly running out of dollars
to buy them; accordingly, because the
long-range recovery program envisoned
under the Marshall proposal cannot be-
come effective until some time in 1948,
collapse may occur before the end of the
year unless Congress authorizes interim,
stop-gap aid at the earliest possible
moment.
Thus, If Secretary Marshalls statement
means anything at ALL it means that a
special session has become imperative.
The statement, moreover clearly implies
that the session ought to begin not much
later than the end of next month, with
Congress acting promptly on the short
term emergency help but correlating it
with our projected multibillion-dollar long
term program for European recovery. The
situation apparently is much too urgent for
vacillation. If Secretary Marshall is as
right as he sounds, the time is about here
for the President to call for positive action.