Evening star., 1949-08-22
We Need Each Other

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Now that the British press-both Labor
ite and Conservative-has underStandably
struck back at the extremists among us
who delight in twisting the lions tail, all
parties involved ought to cease fire long
enough to null over the fact that this
Anglo-American family quarrel will bene-
fit nobody but the Russians If it is allowed
to go from bad to worse, generating heat
and ill-will rather than light and CO.
operation.
Like lot of other situations in this
highly complex world, the quarrel-which
has to do primarily with the why's and
wherefores of the British dollar crisis-is
a matter about which there is something
persuasive to be said on both sides. AS
far as American criticism is concerned,
what Britons need to understand - as
many of them very probably dds that
considerable numbers of us, besides having
been afflicted with an unusually hot
summer, have been growing restive under
the weight of the extraordinary interna-
tional burdens inescapably imposed upon
the United States since the end of the
war.
The burdens are not delight to carry,
and Misunderstanding aside the extrem-
ists-cannot be blamed If they display
some impatience, express disappointment
and start making critical remarks when
a country like Britain, after receiving a
vast amount of financial assistance from
us, still seems as bad off as ever in terms
of dollars and long-term economic sta
bility Nor can they be blamed-especially
in view of the fact that there is evidence
to support them-when they attribute part
of the trouble to certain costly, doctrinaire
Socialist policies Of the Labor government.
On the other hand, in fairness to that
government, what Americans must under
stand is that the situation is grossly over
simplifed when anybody blames it chiefly
on British Socialism. Although some
Laborite policies clearly tend to aggravate
it, the dollar crisis has its roots in causes
much deeper and far more complex than
that. Indeed, the Conservatives them
selves have frankly declared that things
would be pretty much as they are in Brit
ain today even if winston Churchill and
his party were still in power. The prob
lem, in short, is not one that springs from
political theology, nor can it be solved
by a mere change in parties.
Britain's tremendous expenditure of
resources in the Second World War; the
historic forces that have transformed the
balance of power and concentrated over
whelning economic strength in the United
States; the shattering of all past patterns
of trade among nations; the profoundly
meaningful fact that virtually every aspect
of international life has been upended
since 1899; Americas nearly self sufficient
status, which makes it difficult for any
country to earn dollars from us by selling
goods to us-these are some of the
considerations needed for an intelligent
understanding of the Anglo-American
talks to be held here early next month in
an effort to cope with the problem.
Under the best of circumstances that
problem is going to be extremely hard to
solve. and It will be much harder still II
extremists and oversimplifers on both
sides engage in long-range duel of brick
bats and invective. What Britons and
Americans must remember, above all, is
that they need each other. European re-
covery, the North Atlantic Treaty, the
whole effort to safeguard the free Western
world can end only in a catastrophe
failure unless our two countries stick to-
gether in the closest possible relationship.
Short of that, the Kremlin is likely to win
the ball game.