Evening star., 1948-01-08
Marsha||s Testimony on European Recovery Plan

The teTt OF Secretary Mar
ShdlIs testimony before the Sen
ate Foreign Relations Committee
today tn support OF the admin
fstratfon's n1ulti-billion dollar
European recovery program:
On December 10 the President
placed before you the recommends
tions OF the executive branch of
the Government for a program Of
United States assistance to Euro
pean economic recovery.
This program will cost our coun-
try billions of dollars. It will impose
burden on the American taxpayer.
1t will require sacrifices today in
order that we may enjoy security
and peace tomorrow. Should the
Congress approve the program for
European recovery, as I urgently
recommend, we Americans will
have made an historic decision of
our peacetime history.
A nation in which the voice OF
Its people directs the conduct OF
Its affairs cannot embark on an
undertaking of such magnitude and
significance for light or purely SEN
timental reasons. Decisions of this
Importance are dictated by the
highest considerations Of national
interest. There are none higher
am sure, than the establishment
OF enduring peace and the main
tenance of true freedom for the
individual. In the deliberations OF
the coming weeks ask that the
European recovery program be
judged in these terms and on this
basis.
Convictions Outlined.
AS the Secretary of State ano
as the initial representative of the
executive branch of the Government
In the presentation of the program
to your committee, I will first out
line my convictions as to the extent
and manner in which American in
terests are involved in European
recovery.
Without the re- establishment OF
economic health and vigor in the
free countries of Europe, without
the restoration of their social and
political strength necessarily asso-
ciated with economic recuperation
the prospect for the American peo-
pie, and for free people everywhere
to find peace with justice and we'll
being and security for themselves
and their children will be gravely
prejudiced.
So long as hunger, poverty, des-
peration and resulting chaos threat
en- the great concentrations of peo-
pie in Western Europe-some 270
millions-there will steadily de-
velop social unease and political
confusion on every side. Left to
their own resources there will be,
I believe. no escape from economic
distress so intense, social discon-
tents so violent, political confusion
so widespread, and hopes of the fu-
tllre so shattered that the historic
base of Western civilization, OF
which we are by belief and inherit
ance an integral part, will take on
a new form in the image of the
tyranny that we fought to destroy
in Germany. The vacuum which
the war created in Western Europe
will be filled by the forces of which
wars are made. Our national Sc
curity will be seriously threatened
We shall in effect live in an ar1ed
camp, regulated and controlled. But
If we furnish effective aid to support
the now visibly reviving hope OF
Europe, the prospect should speed
lily change The foundation of po-
litical. vitality is economic recovery.
Durable peace requires the restora-
ton of Western European vitality.
We have engaged in great war.
We poured out our resources to win
that war We fought it to make
real peace possible. Though the
war has ended, the peace has not
commenced. We must not fail to
complete that which we commenced.
viii Of Peoples Demonstrated.
The peoples of Western Europe
have demonstrated their will to
achieve a genuine recovery by en-
tering into a great cooperative ef-
fort. Within the limits of their
resources they formally undertake
to establish the basis for the peace
which we all seek, but they cannot
succeed without American assist
tho
world-but the world today cannot
be saved without dollars.
The Paris report of the Commit
tee of European Economic Coop
Grafton was a notable achievement
For the first time in modern his
tory representatives of 16 nations
collectively disclosed their internal
economic conditions and frailties
and undertook, subject to stated
conditions, to do certain things for
the mutual benefit of all. The COM
mitments each made to the other.
If faithfully observed, will produce
In Western Europe a far more in
tegrated economic system than any
In previous history.
The report revealed the measure
of outside assistance which in their
judgment would be necessary to ef-
feet a lasting recovery of the par
ticipating nations. The Executive
Branch, with help and advice from
a great many sources, has developed
from this report a program of
American aid to Europe which gives
substantial promise of achieving the
goal of genuine recovery. The pro-
gram is not one of a series of piece
meal relief measures. I ask that
you note this difference, and keep
1t in mind throughout our explana-
tions. The difference is absolutely
vital.
I believe that this measure has
received as concentrated study as
has ever gone into the preparation
Of any proposal made to the Con-
gress.
The best minds in numerous re-
lated fields have worked for months
on this vast and complicated sub
ject. In addition, the best eco
nonlic and political brains of 16
European nations have given us in
an amazingly short time their
analysis and conclusions.