Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-10-15
Question Often Raised:
Who Profits by Razine
OF German Factories!
Stote Department Reply
To Lawmakers Protests
Seen as Insulting
By Dorothy Thompson

Seen as Insulting
By Dorothy Thompson
Forty-four Senators - nearly
half the membership of the Sen
ate-have asked the Government
to halt the dismantling of German
plants. Their number includes
such staunch administration sup
porters as Brien Mcmahon of
Connecticut, Frank Graham of
North Carolina, and Paul Douglas
of Illinois. Among high American
officials within Germany itself a
spokesman" simultaneously sug-
gested that dismantling be halted
to consider some counters ugges-
tons put up by the West German
government. Meanwhile. in East
ern Germany, the steering COM
mittee of the Soviet-sponsored
peoples council announces that a
new East German government
will be formed and attacks the
"dictatorial" policies of the West
ern Powers. mentioning, in parti-
cular, dismantling.
There is, of course, something
preposterous in the Soviets call
ing any policy "dictatorial," but
there is something strange about
this dismantling business. Forty
four Senators ought to get from
the State Department more of an
answer than that their recon-
mendation will be given careful
thoughtful consideration"
Inconsistent, to Say Least
In Germany itself it is practi-
cally impossible to find an Ameri-
can official who is not opposed to
the dismantling which reopened
again in June-in fiat contradic-
ton to the Potsdam declaration.
And even many British officials.
who are charged with carrying
the measures through. do so with
open distaste. That at the same
time the council for Europe is
considering inviting the West Ger
man government to join it. Ger
man plants should be demolished,
is highly inconsistent, to say the
least.
In Germany this summer was
unable to find a single German
who believed the dismantling was
for war-prevention purposes. How
could they when the Western
allies were holding war maneuvers
on their very soil? They see be-
hind it weird alliance OF British
socialists and British and Ameri-
can capitalists. The British crisis
has exposed the low competitive
quality of British goods. Germany
can produce cheaper, and a
British government that came
into power on the slogan of higher
wages for less work has realized it.
The British labor press accuses
German leaders of exploiting Ger
man workers. But German trade
unions are not deceived. They also
demand social securities. but they
know they will get them and re-
viVe PROSTATE Germany only out
of efficient production which can
compete on the world market.
They see in the dismantling of
their factories a forcible manner
OF increasing their leisure and
sabotaging their efficiency to be-
low the British level in order to
save British socialism.
Corporation Motives.
American corporations have
other motives. Whatever the
Germans think about the West as
contrasted with Russia they are
convinced that American corpora
lions are imperialist. The great
oil companies oppose German syn
thetic oil because, without it. they
have a monopoly Of the German
market. The determination OF
American chemical companies to
Shut down the German goes so far
that Germany is forced to import
thousands of tons of fertilizer
which she could manufacture her
self. And the loot of German
patents by American and British
firms has meant fortunes to those
firms.
Meanwhile, all these measures
are paid for by the American
taxpayer. 1t amounts to private
firms taking reparations out of
Germany which are compensated
for by the American people. And
1T also means that hard working
Americans are helping with their
contributions to disemploy Ger
mans and reduce their competi-
tion-not with us, but with Brit
1sh Laborites. And, finally, moth
ing has played more into the
hands Of the extremist and anti
Western forces in Germany than
this continued dismantling.
Nobody has ever given any
argument for it acceptable to hui
man reason. The long argument
put out by the British foreign
Office last June was as poor a piece
Of special pleading as ever have
read. And the State Departments
answer to the A Senators-prom-
Using careful and thoughtful at
tention"-is insulting. This mat
ter has been discussed in Con-
gress and the public prints for
months. The department should
either defend its policy or aban-
don it. It is being paid for by
the American people and their
representatives have the duty to
insist on knowing why it is being
continued.
Released by the Bell Syndicate. Ine.)
D.n, EIc~Ius1o. II