Evening star., 1949-08-28

through the Marshall Plan.
What steps did the administr;
ness of peoples of Western Europe
to fight an aggressor, before 1t
embarked on the present pro-
gram of expenditures for arms?
These are questions which many
Senators of both parties are ask
ing now, at a time when the
White House and State Depart
ment are asking them to restore
to the arms for Europe bill the
funds cut out by the House OF
Representatives.
These questions are not
prompted by any isolationist senti-
ment. Isolationism is dead, even
among those who were its
strongest adovactes in preWar
days. But there is scarcely a
Senator who has been honestly
infol med by the executive branch
about actual commitments under
taken in discussions with Western
European leaders.
Spokesman for the administra-
ton assured their colleagues on
the floor of the Senate that ap-
proval of the Atlantic pact did not
carry with it any obligation to
appropriate vast sums for re-
armament of Europe.
Without Funds
Now the Senators are being told
that unless billions are allocated
for that purpose the whole At
lantic pact without an adequate
force to resist Russian aggression
will be just as dead as was the
Kellogg BRAND pact to outlaw war
in the decade before the last con-
flict.
The majority of Senators
understand this. But before obli-
eating the already heavily
burdened American taxpayer to
another heavy expenditure they
want to know how deep we may
have to dig into our pockets and
whether there is even reasonable
assurance that the war-exhausted
peoples of Europe will be willing
to use the tanks. planes, guns and
other war paraphernalia which
their general STATS are insisting
on.
From what little information is
available 1t appears that not less
than $4,000. 100000 will be re-
quired to accomplish the program
of providing Europe with rs more
modern devisions. This sum will
have to be expended over period
of five years. It would be impos-
sible under present conditions to
create such q force and provide
it with arms-which have to be
manufactured in this country and
shipped overseas-in less time.
The figure of $4,000, 200, 900 is
indefinite and has not been pre-
sented officially yet to members
of Congress. All that has been
said in executive sessions Of the
committee is that the expenditure
will be progressive until the goal
of Is divisions has been reached.
French Most in Need
Congress will not make the de-
Observation-Disclosures to which of
the European countries gets the
lions share Of the money. But
considering that France is the
largest continental nation in the
Atlantic pact. and that Italy is
limited by her peace trophy in
the size Of her armed forces and
the type Of war material they pos
sess, it is obvious that the bulk
of the money will have to be spent
in reorganization of the French
ground forces.
Then here comes the $64 ques.
ton: Are the French people will
ing to fight against another ag-
gression. after being bled white
in two wars in the last genera
ton?
The answer, Senators are being
told. is wholly guesswork. Nat
urally the top-ranking French
military men are honestly con-
vinced that. given the necessary
equipment, food and clothing.
their people will fight bitterly
against any attempt to invade
France. What the French citizen
himself thinks is matter Of pure
speculation. So far as is known
here, there has been no poll Of
the public in France.
The three American chiefs Of
staff went on a To-day trip to
Western Europe apparently to
find out personally what the Sit
uation is and to discuss the ques-
ton Of defense with their COL
leagues in the Atlantic pact coun-
tries.
Too Much or Too Little
In the opinion of representative
European publications-such as
the highly respected Statesman
and the Nation, published in Lon
don-the object Of the whirlwind
trip of our three chiefs of staff
was not to acquire fresh informa-
ion-for it is unlikely that they
discovered anything In Europe
which they could not have learned
more conveniently by sitting in
The Pentagon-but to cajole SEN
ator Vandenberg and his Republic
IAN colleagues into supporting the
program Of lend-lease
ornaments" As q piece Of domes-
lie pressure politics this whirl-
Wind tour may well fulfill its pur-
oose.
The magazine continues: TT
,ecomes clear that the $1.450. .000,-
700 proposed by Mr.. Truman is a
meaningless sum. The more we
study the demands for defense