Evening star., 1947-11-23

and played against his own money
vanished in thin air. He died in
poverty.
A number of members of Congress
who know this true story wonder
whether what happened to Norton
may not happen on a much larger
scale to Uncle Sam under the long
range program of the Marshall plan
Of aid to Europe.
| Lawmakers Skeptical
That we must leave no stone un-
turned to save Western Europe from
the Moscow octopus is admitted by
everybody who considers the secu-
rity of this Nation and the Western
Hemisphere But there is still a
good deal of skepticism in the minds
of our lawmakers over whether ex-
penditure of 20 or 80 billion
dollars will be sufficient in itself to
prevent Russia's onward march into
Western Europe and China.
A miniature Marshall plan al
ready has been applied by the ad-
ministration in Greece. Last March
President Truman enunciated his
doctrine of helping nations which
want to remain free and whose SOW
ereignty is threatened by commu-
nism. The sequel of the Truman doc
trine was Congress appropriation OF
3OO,OOO,OOO for economic and mil
itary support to Greece and $l00 ,0O0,-
900 to Turkey. Military support was
given Greece because she was being
attacked by Communist units organ
lied and equipped in Yugoslavia
Bulgaria and Albania.
Had it not been for that fact, the
sums appropriated for Greece would
have been earmarked exclusively fol-
economic recovery. President Tru-
man and his advisers proceeded on
the theory that communism is fos-
tered by hunger and poverty. Hence
in order to combat it, the American
Government must support legitimate
governments chosen in free and un-
fettered elections.
/ President Truman may not have
thought last March of the possibility
that the millions appropriated for
Greece might have to be followed not
only by more Millions of dollars, but
also by an American armed force if
the Greek Army is to be supported
against the more powerful enemies
from across the border.
| Communism Now a Tool
! President Truman and his ad-
visers were firmly convinced that
dollars in the form of food and raw
and manufactured materials would
be more than sufficient to combat
communism. This might have
been a correct theory before World
War II. But today communism is
no longer the dogma of Karl Marx
and Lenin. 1t is used as tool by
which Russia's dictators hope tc
reach their goal of world domina
ton.
The slogan of communism in the
day of Lenin and Trotsky was
workers of the World Unite This
has been discarded by the Politbu-
reau in the Kremlin. The aims OF
the new communism differ in no
way from those of Hitlerism-world
conquest and domination, not for
the sake of the underdog, but for
the greater power and glory OF
Mother Russia" and it's dictator,
Joseph Stain.
In the Balkans, as in Western
Europe, we no longer oppose an
theology which is unwelcome to the
peoples of these lands, as was the
case after World War l. We, the
Europeans and the Chinese face the
militant power of dictatorship
which possesses less military skill,
but far greater natural and man.
power resources, than did the Axis.
To imagine that this militant drive
for world conquest can be halted by
billions of dollars is like believing
that the Atlantic can be bailed out
with soup ladle.
The Greek Situation
Our policy-farmers caused Presi-
dent Truman to embark on the plan
for Greece and Turkey on the as
sumption that improvement Of eco
nomic conditions would stem Com
munist entertainments If they had
been correct, the Greek situation
would have improved in the last
six months AS 1t is, the money dis
pensed by Dwight GrisWold in
Greece has almost exhausted the
$500, 100000 appropriation and the
situation has deteriorated rather
than improved. The Greek armies
are exhausted, the funds are prac-
tically exhausted some improve
ment in Greece's national economy
lis noticeable, but the danger of a
Greek collapse is greater than it
was a year ago.
The members of the Greek gov
ernment in private and of the
record conversations say that an
American force of at least 10000
men, using the latest war equip
ment would prevent debacle soon.
And this point of view is shared by
worried American military men.
who have so little available to do
such big jobs.
All the elements of the long
range Marshall plan for Western
Europe can be found in the support
for Greece program. And the les
sons we are learning in Greece must
not he overlooked when we discuss