Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-08
Arms and the Russians

There is nothing particularly extraor-
binary in the fact that the Kremlin's
budget for the year ahead contemplates
ruble expenditures that come close to
doubling the American OUTLAWS proposed
by President Truman for fiscal 1949. The
wide disparity is understandable in view
of the nature of the Soviet economy. 1t
is an economy owned and operated by
the government, and its budgetary setup
therefore includes the spending of vast
sums of state capital on agricultural and
industrial projects that private enterprise
finances in our own country.
But though the over all total of the
Kremlin's projected xpenditures-roughly
equivalent to $77,500 100000, the largest in
Russian history-thus is naturally much
greater than ours, the American people
have good reason to give plenty of thought
to the fact that a big percentage of that
total is earmarked for military purposes.
AS officially announced in Moscow, the
appropriation for the Soviet armed forces
is to be in the neighborhood of $12,500,-
100000. This sum-representing II per cent
of the full budgets less than what the
Russians spent in the same category last
year, but it is still almost $500, 000,00
more than what President Truman pro-
poses for our own Army, Navy and Air
Force.
Moreover, under their budgetfng system,
the Russians apparently do not label as
military many items that our American
budget Jumps together as part OF the
total expenditures for our armed forces
Accordingly, we may safely assume that
the actual Soviet outlay in this field will
be considerably more than 81 500 600
above what the President has recon-
mended for our national defense estab-
HShment. In addition, the fact is worth
noting that the Kremlin's finance minister
has announced 7 per cent increase in
funds for "big-scale" scientific research
Significantly enough, he has not revealed
the total of these funds, but they are
undoubtedly very large-large enough to
promote the Soviet effort to catch up with
us as fast as possible in such vital projects
as the development of atomic energy.
All this speaks pretty much for itself.
The Kremlin faces such gigantic recon-
Struction job in war-devastated areas, and
the Russian people have so low standard
of living and are so desperately in need
of consumer goods, that the pressure must
be very great to cut military expenditures
to the bone. But there has been no such
cutting Instead, the Stain government
is clearly intent on being second to no
other country-not even the United States
in military expenditures. In fact, far
from letting itself be second, it plans to be
first by a wide margin, regardless of any
WEAKNESS among the Soviet masses. of
having to continue to live under a guns
before-butter economy.
This picture of Russian spending Is
something that all of us ought to keep
clearly in mind in meeting our own defense
requirements. The Kremlin is not pinch
ing pennies. On the contrary, its new
budget makes Enthusiastically clear that it
is not going to spare any effort in building
up its armed might. That might, which
already includes the worlds biggest army
and an air force with more planes IN
operation than ours, is not to be under
estimated in either an actual or potential
sense. The money being lavished on it is
a SOLDERING reminder that grim race is
on in which Americans can be laggard
or parsimonious only at very great peril
to themselves.