Evening star., 1948-01-18
The Alternative

uS
What is the alternative to the European
Recovery Program? What would Amer
leans have to face If it should be rejected
entirely, or If Congress, ignoring Secretary
Marshall's> most solemn warnings, should
decide to alter it so radically as to make
it ineffective to the point of futility? How
would the United States be affected then,
and what course would our Nation-Gov-
ernment and people-be obliged to follow
to be safe?
Precise answers are not possible, but
educated guesses are-guesses with more
than little certainty In them. To begin
with, in a strictly business sense, it may
reasonably be assumed that our own
domestic economy-which now is oiled by
a heavy flow of exports-would be hard
hit If Congress failed to enact the ERP.
1t would be hard hit in terms of the
foreign commerce that supports sub
stantial percentage of our overall en-
ployment. 1t would be hard hit because
our best customers abroad-the sixteen
nations working with us on the projected
recovery Programmed large-scale help
from us to get back on their feet and
continue trading with us.
But the business aspect Of the situation
is of relatively minor significance. In
comparably more important is the security
question involved As President Truman.
Secretary Marshall and long list of other
highly qualified authorities have made
clear, the European Recovery Program
has vital bearing not merely on our
economic well-being, but on our freedom,
safety and peace as Nation. Failure to
enact it, or decision to whittle 1t down
to o-little-too-late dimensions, would be
equivalent to taking the risk of letting
Western Europe disintegrate and collapse
politically and economically. It would be
equivalent to giving the green light to
the Kremlin to 60 about in its effort to
dominate the entire continent, and to pro-
ceed from there to entrench itself in Asia.
Such a development would revolutionize
the world balance of power. AS Defense
Secretary Forrestal has reminded the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, Western
Europe, with its 270,00o,OOO inhabitants,
is great workshop with tremendous in
dustrial and military potentials. If 1t
should collapse and succumb to Red totali-
tarianism, if it should be integrated into,
the Soviet system, then the Kremlin, with
Asia under its thumb as well, would be in
a position to control most of the globe.
In that case, in the judgment of Mr.. For
restal and others equally well equipped
to evaluate the problem the United States
would be so friendless and isolated that it
would have to become an armed camp for
the sake of survival, resorting to peace
time conscription and maintaining a mill
tary power so strong that none would dare
to attack us or start new war" in the
age of rockets, guided missiles, supersonic
flight, A-weapons and other instruments
of mass destruction.
Moreover, this bleak alternative to the
European Recovery Program would be
costly in the extreme. 1t would call for
domestic controls so far-reaching as to
threaten our most basic American iber-
ties. Beyond that, as far as dollars and
cents go, Mr.. Forrestal has estimated that
it would burden us with back-breaking
annual military expenditure at least equal
to the total four-year outlay of $17,OOO.-
100000 proposed for the ERP In other
words, if we do not invest in peace by
helping our friends abroad, we are likely
to find ourselves so alone in Red totali-
tartan world that we shall have to spend
most of our substance on arms, year in
and year out, until there is a decision of
some kind between us and the Kremlin
1t is true enough, of course, that the
European Recovery Program can offer no
absolute guarantees. 1t involves calcu-
lated risk, but if our aid is adequate,
prompt and effectively administered, West
ern Europe will stand an excellent chance
of becoming strong again and remaining
free-a great democratic bastion. The
alternatives do-nothing policy or
policy Of not doing enough-is so men
acing in its potentialities that Congress.
If it has vision, If it has the highest
interests of the Nation at heart, ought to
have little difficulty making up It's mind
in favor of the ERP.