Evening star., 1949-06-18
Absolutely EssentioI'

Absolutely Essentior
As titular head of the Republican Party,
Governor Dewey has spoken out In timely
and forceful fashion against any weaken
ing of the Marshall Plan. Basing his state
ment on just-completed tour of Britain
and Western Europe, he has described the
| plan rs absolutely essential" and he has
left no room for doubt that he Is one with
Paul g. Hoffman,, chief Of the Economic
Cooperation Administration. In believing
that indiscriminate slashes In ECA funds
could lead to the gravest consequences not
only for our friends abroad but for our
selves as well.
In taking this position, Mr.. Dewey has
placed his major emphasis on point that
seems to have been forgotten by those
members of the Senate who have been
advocating sharp reductions in addition to
the ones already made in the House.
approved ECA legislation. The point is
simply this: That the fundamental
objective of the European Recovery Pro-
gram is to restore the Marshall Plan
countries to economic health and political
stability In order to hold back and even
tually reverse the Red tide and thus end
the danger of further direct and indirect
aggression aimed at giving the Kremlin
control of the entire continent
Thanks In large measure to what the
ERP has already accomplished, that threat
has been checked within the past year
As Mr.. Dewey has warned, however, 1t is
still very much q thing to be reckoned
with. That is why ECA operations must
be pushed forward as vigorously as possible.
The enterprise-along with the Atlantic
Pact and related armaments aids In.
dispensable to the security Of the free
Western world. To cut down on 1t now, to
let ill-conceived and ill-timed economizing
measures cause 1t to lose momentum, would
be merely to invite recurrence of the
economic and political instability that the
Kremlin obviously wants.
Such a course, as Mr.. Dewey and others
have declared, would 60 far toward un-
doing the fine progress that has been made
under the Marshall Plan, and 1t would
make imminent again the menace of one
at-a-time Soviet aggression against our
friends abroad. That menace bears di-
rectly on our own long safety. If
too late, the way would be open for Russia's
step-by-step dominance of the whole
continents development whose ultimate
effect would be to leave the United States
alone and isolated in a predominantly
Communist world, where our liberty would
be hard put to survive.
Some Of our meat-ax economizers appear
to be disposed to pooh-pooh that danger
as something too vague or remote to war
rant worry. But IL they thus betray In
themselves an inability to comprehend the
meaning of the historical forces now at
work in our world, If they are incapable Of
seeing that our own American freedom
and security are tightly tied In with the
freedom and security Of Western Europe,
they at least understand the dollars-and-
cents interests involved. At any rate, now
that Mr.. Hoffman has shown the Senate
Appropriations Committee how any deep
cut In ECA funds would adversely affect
many of our domestic and industrial pro-
ducers, they seem inclined to back away
from their more drastic proposals.
Actually, Of course, the economizers
should put away the meat ak not merely
because Of narrow economic considerations
here at home, but because of the broader,
and basically more significant, considera-
tion that the future liberty and safety of
call for an unfiagging effort. right now,
to make the ERP as successful as possible
That effort, together with such other
measures as ratification and implementa-
tion of the Atlantic Pact, adds up to what
Mr.. Dewey has rightly described a. one
of the most important jobs in the world.
As such, If 1t Is to be done well, 1t must
be done wholeheartedly, and with q sense
of urgency ruling out half measures and
vacillation.
The Senate Appropriations Committee
ought therefore to lose no time in going
along with the legislation already adopted
by the House. According to MIR. Hoffman,
the House bill constitutes the rock-bottom
minimum needed to make the ERP func-
ton effectively during fiscal 1850. The
slashes advocated by some Senators could
result only In weakening the program In
way that could be dangerous. That kind
OF economy would be foolish; 1t would
represent bad vision and worse statesman
ship: we cannot afford to hobble ourselves
with 1t In these crucial days Of the cold
war.
Lost Brightness
In announcing that it is going to make
q few gold coins-none Of which win be
allowed 10 circulate-the British Royal
Mint has explained that 1t Just wants to
keep its craftsmen In training. But maybe
there is another reason for the decision.