Evening star., 1949-08-30
Truman Is Seen GIVING
New Lease Of Life 10
Socialism in Britain
London Reported Pleased
Beyond Measure With
Assurances in Speech
By David Laurence

was available for the British cab
met and that Sir Stafford Cripps
was pleased beyond measure with
the assurances contained therein.
In order to understand the
significance of the Presidents
declaration that the United States
does not intend to tell Great Brit
ain about her internal affairs, it
is necessary to recall that for sew
eral weeks the anti-Socialist
speakers have been indicating
that Americans were dissatisfied
with Britain's economic progress
and that handouts Of money
couldn't be continued indefinitely.
Conversely, q TRADE of criticism
has developed in England against
alleged efforts of America to in
terfere in British internal affairs.
Presumably this has grown out of
the criticism in some American
quarters that American funds are
being used to promote schemes of
naturalization in Britain and to
carry on unsound adventures in
socialism.
Timely Disclaimer.
Mr.. Truman cleared the air
with a timely disclaimer. His
exact words are very important to
record:
"The democratic nations are
not proposing to interfere with
one another's internal politics. We
know very we'll how we would feel
If some foreign nation tried to
tell us how to vote. We recog-
nize that each nation has its own
political problems and that it
uses different political labels and
different slogans from those we
use at home. In the same way,
nations have different business
practices and different govern
mental devices for achieving the
same economic ends.
"a community of democratic
nations cannot insist on uniform
ity in matters of politics or busi-
ness. The only uniformity on
which they can insist-and this
is what binds them together as
free nations-is a firm adherence
to democracy, coupled with COM
mon desire to improve the stand
ard of living of all their citizens. !"
Mr.. Truman's comments are es-
pecially informative as Foreign
Secretary Bevin and Sir Stafford
Cripps, economic leader OF the
British cabinet, come to the
United States next week for talks
with Secretaries Acheson and Sny-
der of the Departments Of State
and Treasury.
Undoubtedly there have been
annoyances in the last few weeks
on both sides of the Atlantic as
the discussion of what can be
done to remedy the dollar crisis
has developed both In Congress
and in the British Parliament.
For one thing, there is a decided
feeling in Washington that the
British have not made the maxi
mum effort to put their own eco
nomic house In order and that
they have been leaning too heav-
lily on the American dole. The
coming conversations may be ex-
pected, therefore. to become a bit
more practical than those held
heretofore.
More Than Meets the Eye.
Hence what Mr.. Truman says
beforehand removes any sugges-
tion that the United States is try
ing to tell Britain how to run
her affairs. 1t is the end result
which the American Government
keeps pointing out. There may
have been more than meets the
eye, therefore. in the following
statement by Mr.. Truman:
I'VE cannot succeed in Great
ing a sound and expanding econ
omy unless we keep everlastingly
at it. There are times, no doubt,
when we shall become impatient
or annoyed by delays and OBJ
stacles. But we cannot throw in
our hand and walk out of the
game. Nor can any other nation
afford to do 50. The path Of mu-
tual adjustment and combined
economic effort is not an easy one.
The economic interests Of nations
are not easily reconciled. No
group can get all it wants. But
there is no other way to the So
luton of our difficulties than the
way of mutual concession and CO.
operation"
This may or may not have ref
erence to threats that. II the
United States doesn't come across
with more money, the British may
form an economic block Of their
own and set up some sort Of uni
lateral action in their sterling
area. It may have reference to
reports that the United States
isn't going to 60 ahead unless
Britain devalues her pound. All
these rumors. which have filled
the air with the first signs Of mis-
understanding between America
and Britain since the war, needed
to be squelched and the whole
thing placed on a higher plane of
mutual helpfulness. This Mr..
Truman's speech does very effec-
lively and it would appear that
those who helped to draft the
speech which the President de-
livered at the American Legion
Convention selected very accu-
rately and advised properly the
words to say at this particular mo-
ment in economic history.
(Reproduction Hights Reseryed,o