Evening star., 1949-10-02


top-level personnel of several ma
tionalities, is undertaking it's task
with objectivity and good will,
tempered only by misgivings nor
NAL to such an adventure IN in
ternational planning in an area
where certain bitternesses and
suspicious have been deep.
Originating in the disruption
created by the 1sraeli-Arab war.
the idea for the study has suffered
somewhat from an overemphasis
on a quick solution for the Arab
refugee problem. Representatives
of the Middle East governments
hailed the plan when it was pro-
iected at Lausanne, but there have
been subsequent expressions OF
their feeling that refugee resettle-
ment is too much the goal; that
conception of long-range pro-
grams for the permanent better
ment of their countries would be
more in phrases than in actuality
Rich Potentialities
Sponsors of the plan have
greater imagination and higher
hopes. They see in the Middle
East several countries that are
underpopulated but rich in poten-
tialities. They see an area tina,
was once the worlds most pros
porous, economically and cultur-
ally. suffering from lack OF
planned development, from lack
of modern technical skills and
from lack of financing. To them
and to all students OF geopolitlcs
the Middle East is not only a bal
ance wheel of great strategic I'M
portance, it is a land mass which
should be prosperous within It.
self and contributing to the eco
nomic good health of the rest OF
the world.
Already in the field and split
into working parties, the mission
is under direction to have an IN
terim report available for the
United Nations General Assembly
in November and to have its ina
report near completion by the
year end.
A brief rundown of the organi-
1otional setl1p reflects the solid
intent Of the sponsors and augurs
we'll for a constructive job by the
group. AS deputies to Mr.. Clapp
whose competence has been estab'
Mshed by his direction Of the Ten
nessee Valley Authority, thu
United Nations designated Sh
Desmond Morton, British wartime
special assistant to Prime Minis
ter Churchill and British repre-
sentative on the Inter Allied
Reparations Agency; Eric L.
Bonne, French prewar Ambassa-
dor to Spain and to Russia ano
high commissioner to Morocco
and Tunisia; Cell Gokcen. Turk.
ish, director Of electric power de-
velopment for the Turkish govern.
ment. John Reedman, South Al.
rican economist, who was asso.
ciated with DR.. Ralph Bunche In
the earlier Palestine mediation ef-
forts and is an economist by pro.
feSSion, is executive secretary.
Four Main Groups
For operating purposes, the mis-
sion has been broken into foul
main groups. The immediate
refugee welfare problem will bt
studied most intensively by
group headed by Dillon Myer
president of the Institute of Inter.
American Affairs of the State De.
partment and director OF reloca.
ton of Japanese in the United
States during the war. An agri'
cultural section Is headed by Sil
Herbert Stewart, an old Middle
East hand. assisted by DR.. Robert
Buchanan, dean emeritus of the
Iowa State College Agricultural
School, who also has had Middle
East experience. Engineering de-
velopment is being studied by 6
section under William Verdooin
water control engineer for iva
The finance section will be direct
ed by an American to be nomi.
mated by the international Bank
Actually, some rather extensive
studies Of projects which might fl
into the present overall program
have been made in recent years
dealing with irrigation. land rec
lamation, industrialization, and sc
forth. Never before fitted into ar
area-wide plan, these will be re-
studied by the present mission.
Greatest hopes Of the mission
center around the possibilities in
Syria, Jordan, Arab Palestine and
later Iraq.
Syria, for example, is under
populated, with some 3,300,00o
people in its $1,000 square miles
Of territory. The country has
considerable agricultural. poten-
tialities beyond its present exploi-
tation and water is there for har-
Messing. approximately 10000
refugees from Palestine are pres
emily within Syrian borders
Political Future Cleared
The recent government turn
overs in Syria clouded the pros
poets Of the Clapp mission there
somewhat but the simultaneous
recognition Of the present gov
ernment last week by United
States, Britain and France should
assist materially In clearing up
this problem.
Jordan is another sparsely popu-
lated country, with only $50, 900
people in nearly 10000 square
miles. While the country is pre-
dominantly desert the fertile por-
tion has a high agricultural po-
tential and there are substantial
deposits Of phosphate and potash.
PRTH - xAf-