Evening star., 1947-11-10

Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations and the House Com
nittee on Foreign Affairs today
tolloaDs:
The Congress in the coming ses-
sion will be called upon to make
decisions which, although less spec
tacular and dramatic, will be no
less important for the future Of
our country and the world than those
of the war years. Your RESPONSE
bilities as members of the commit
tees directly concerned with our
foreign relations are accordingly
, very great.
1t appears unnecessary to elabo-
rate for you on the somber picture
Of the world situation. You all.
am sure, are fully aware of its grav-
ity and the immense responsibility
which the course Of events has
placed upon our country.
The President will lay before the
Congress the program Of his admin
istration for aid to Europe. My
duty as Secretary of State is to
present the reasons for this pro-
gram; the reasons why I profoundly
believe that the vital interest Of
the United States is directly in
volved
In concentrating upon the prob
lem of aid to Europe, I do not ig-
more the fact that there are other
areas of the world beset by economic
problems of tremendous gravity. But
the very magnitude of the world
problem as whole requires care
full direction of our assistance to
the critical areas where 1t can be
most Immediately effective.
Need Called Urgent.
The need for our assistance in
the European area is real and 1t is
urgent. The report of the 16 ma
tions represented on the Committee
of European Economic Cooperation
sets this forth, I think, in a con-
vincing manner.
AS a result of the war, the Euro
pean community which for centuries
had been one of the most productive
and indeed creative portions of the
: inhabited world was left PROSTATE.
!; This area, despite its diversity of
!; national cultures and it's series of
internecine conflicts and wars, none
theless enjoys a common heritage
and a common civilization.
The war ended with the armies
of the major Allies meeting in the
La,~& - tI,;c mn, vo,,nitv Tho y1o1i.
cies of three of them have been
directed to the restoration of that
European community. 1t Is now
clear that only one power, the Soviet
Union, does not for its own reasons
share this aim
We have become involved in two
wars which have had their origins
in the European continent. The free
peoples of Europe have fought two
wars to prevent the forcible domi-
nation of their community by a
single great power. Such domina-
ton would have inevitably menaced
the stability and security of the
world. To deny today our interest
in their ability to defend their own
heritage would be to disclaim the
efforts and sacrifices of two gen.
erations of Americans. We wish to
see this community restored as one
OF the pillars of world security; IN a
tposition to renew its contribution to
1.-THE advancement of mankind and
| to the development Of a world order
based on law and respect for the in
dividual.
The record of the endeavors of the
United States Government to bring
about a restoration of the whole OF
that European community is clear
for all who wish to see. We must
face the fact, however, that despite
our efforts, not all of the European
nations have been left free to take
their place in the community OF
which they form natural part.
Program Is Limited.
Thus the geographic scope Of our
recovery program is limited to those
nations which are free to act in ac-
cordance with their national tradi-
tions and their own estimates OF
their national interests. If there is
any doubt as to this situation, a
glance at the present map Of the
European continent will provide the
answer.
The present line of division in
Europe is roughly the line upon
which the Anglo American armies
coming from the west met those OF
the Soviet Union coming from the
east. To the west of that line the
nations of the continental European
community have been graphing
with the vast and difficult problem
resulting from the war in conformity
with their own national traditions
without pressure or menace from the
United States or Great Britain.
Developments In the European
countries to the east of that line
bear the unmistakable imprint OF an
alien hand. All the nations Of
Europe, 16 in number, which were
in a position to excerse free choice
gave a prompt and energetic re-
sponse to the simple suggestion
made at Harvard on June last and
thereby an impressive demonstra-
ton of the continuing vitality of
European civilization.
It would be well, therefore, to deal
briefly with what the area encom-
passed by those 16 nations plus
western Germany has meant to us
and has meant to the world. This
community before the war accounted
for nearly one-half of the worlds
trade. They owned nearly two-thirds
Of the worlds shipping. Their in
dustrial production in terms Of the
basic commodities of coal, steel and
chemicals was before the war
slightly greater than that of the
United States. Their economy was
highly integrated, each part depend
ing upon the efficient working of the
other.
I think that the figures cited will
he told reporters he had been called
/