Evening star., 1948-05-17
Some Postwar Contrasts Abroad
Destruction or Government Policy Has Left Mark
That Varies Throughout Europe
Bv SepeUon Brown
Editor OF the Providence (R. ~ Journal and Bulletin

street after street and city after city might
have been bombed the day before.
All in all, the impression Of Germany Is one
of impossible chaos, stagnatlon and demorali-
zation, with a cumbersome army machine I'M
posed upon it; necessary for defense purposes.
no doubt, but probably handicap to recovery.
Yet you do see evidences Of individuals trying
to get started again. Hope in the human
breast seems to spring eternal. even in defeated
Germany. But Of any success with attempts
to cemocratize Germany and to bring the
people OF the American zone to sound demo-
cratic self-scvernment, We could find no ev1-
dence.
What Is the great need to revive German
industry? A reform Of our currency, say the
German heads Of state, who have been given
political responsibility under the American
Army of occupation. Not currency nrst. says
the manager Of an automobile works. but food
and clothing and shoes for my workers. He
told us Of having made an export sale Of
Opel automobiles believe that 1t was to
Switzerland-and Of having been able to get
in return . shipment of fat which he divided
among his workers. He said that had done
more to boost morale in his plant than any,
thing he had been able to do for many day.
Somewhere along the line. government policy
seems to have made impossible the sale OF
German-language Swiss newspapers to the
Germans in our zone. 1t seems to me that 1t
would be an exceedingly wise move to re-
move those barriers and to encourage the
widest possible purchase of the very good Ger
man language newspapers published in
Switzerland. which Is the soundest and most
democratic OF European countries
Rattan prass Il NeAdsA
Which brings us to the problem Of the
newspaper press Of Europe. Outside of Switz-
erland, 1t is all Of 1t In wretched condition
While We were struggling In Geneva for In
ternational governmental agreement to keep
newspapers in the democratic countries free
It was obvious to all Of us that true freedom
Of the press for England and continental
Europe will never be possible until better eco
nomic conditions are available to the news
papers Of those countries.
One Of the greatest handicaps, beyond all
doubt, to the restoration Of normal social and
political thinking in Europe today must be
the limitations placed upon newspapers by
the bad economic conditions under which
they are published. Limited to four pages
or less-except In Switzerland-they have not
the room to give an ineligible report Of
news. The governments nave their nngerS
in the newspaper pie. They are politically
ridden from the right and from the left. Only
two moderate, relatively nonpolitical news
papers in Paris are in anything like sound
condition today.
There is the widespread charge in England
that British Labor government policy is
deliberately restricting the size Of the British
press which is, Of course, predominantly tory
and against the Labor Government. Without
passing Judgment upon this charge 1t cer-
tainly can be said that no heavier RESPONSE
bility rests upon the American people in what
ever effort they make to rehabilitate England
and Europe than to get their newspaper press
in better shape, 80 that the people OF those
countries may read sufficiently sos the truth
to have the basis Of information IN which to
conduct themselves In = politically rational
~ =. .s.8.3