Evening star., 1947-10-03

London and Washington governments on
spheres of influence" In that area by which
We are left with free hand on the Arabian
Peninsula while the British are left to their
own policies in Egypt and other portions of
Africa.
The open demonstrations which have taken
place in recent weeks against the British
American and Brazilian representations here
stemmed, OF course, from the positions taken
by these governments toward the Anglo
Egyptian dispute in United Nations forums.
Such demonstrations are not considered here
as rejecting responsible opinion, but they are
nonetheless symptomatic of developing atti-
tude which might become deeper and broader.
Hostile Propaganda.
Meanwhile the French and Arabic language
portions of the Egyptian press are following
line of increasing hostility toward the United
States-particularly in their Interpretation of
our economic policies.
Examination Shows that this material stems
in greater part from the following sources: %
news and feature material credited to the
French news agency, "Agence France-Press";;
60 news and feature material credited to
Reuters; CD feature and editorial material
credited to British newspapers and relayed
here by British Overseas Press; a. releases of
ice Conformation Francois"
Many of these stories have been critical of
the motives or the prospects of the Marshall
plan for aid to Europe and have implied or
stated fatty that there is something sinister
in the proposals or that the plan will be
sabotaged to point Of ineffectiveness by
conflicting political influences In Washington.
While the Egyptian press has been reasonably
receptive in the past to use of material supplied
by American news agencies or by the United
States Information Service there Is COM
plaint that the former haveNnot given as much
emphasis to economic news as have the parallel
British and French services and there has
been recent curtailment in budget allowance
here for the USIS Americans here, both dip
lomatic and private business people, consider
the latter circumstance particularly unfortu-
nate at this time and point to proportionate
increase In the use of non-American foreign
material in the local press.
simultaneously with this trend there have
been disturbing indications here of desire to
impose some degree Of censorship upon Amer
ican news correspondents in Egypt. Several
American correspondents have been chided
semiofhcially for writing pieces considered un-
friendly to Egypt and inquiries have been made
by the foreign Office press section as to "con-
trols" imposed upon foreign correspondents in
the United States. Particular interest has been
directed at the requirements imposed on issu-
ance of State Department and White House
credentials to foreign correspondents
To certain point these symptoms of United
states-Egyptian tension may not be of greatest
Importance in the determination of our foreign
policy. 1t is not inappropriate, however, to keep
two factual considerations in mind; first, that
In both world wars and even back to the
days OF Napoleon and Alexander the crossroads
of the Middle East have been of paramount
strategic Importance and, second that Amer
icas stake today in Middle East ola vital
commodity in peace or In war-already can be
evaluated in billions of dollars and perhaps
even higher. In terms Of national security.