Evening star., 1949-08-29
Nourse Warning Cited
On Dangers 10 u. 5.
OF Military Thinking
Defense Program Needs
For Economic, Social
Provisions Backed
Bv David Laurence

TOT ESOiVtIliSS SOSt0i
Provisions Backed
By David Laurence
Many people today are cropping
for some way to put into perspec-
tive the vast military expenditures
being made by the United States
and the risks of economic exhaus-
ton that may face this country
unless these expenses can be even
tually reduced by substantial
sums.
It is not generally known that
military policy has been formulat-
ed in recent months on the basis
of a scare. There has been a
belief, engendered no doubt by
what happened in the surprise
attack on Pear Harbor. that the
United States must be prepared
for sudden hostilities.
A hint Of the difficulties of max
ing a budget on the basis Of plans
for weapons that might be obso-
lete five years hence, but might be
needed in case of war now, is
given from q quarter where 1t
might be least expected.
Thus Edwin G. Nourse, chair
man of the Presidents Council
Of Economic Advisers, said in a
speech just released that, while
members Of the military profess
sion are technicians in the science
of defense, they think in terms of
physical emergencies in which the
very existence of our Nation might
be at stake" He adds that "it is
hard, therefore, for the military
mind to get fully into the stride
Of civilian economic thinking"
Half of Budget For Defense.
Mr.. Nourse says the essence Of
a lively controversy that is going
on today in Congress relates to
this question: How much need
we put into current military
equipment and personnel to have
short-run strength to resist sud-
den attack, and how much can
we spare for these purposes with
out impairing our long-range
strength to see global war
through to final victory?"
The Presidents chief economic
counsellor says it is easy to over
look the fact that even present.
day military expenses are re
tarding the adjustment and ag-
gravating the struggle among
management, labor, farmers, and
the consumer. He points out
that America is finding it i'm
possible to attain its goals of
higher wages, more satisfactory
farm income. more adequate in
dustrial modernization, expan-
sion and suitably rising standards
of living when half of our big
budget is drained away to mill
tary expenditure. direct and in
direct"
The idea that military outlays
help business is frowned upon by
Mr.. Nourse, referring to the fact
that many people began this year
to feel that a military budget of
$15,O0O,oOO,6oO a year or more is
"a positively favorable factor of
support to the economy-a prop
that is needed once the postwar
scarcities have been caught up"
Mr.. Nourse is emphatic in reject
ing this philosophy as he says:
1--WE refuse to believe that mill
tary spending is needed to cure
or prevent unemployment. as Hit
ler played it. Instead, we have
the confidence of a free people
that all the resources which can
safely be spared from armament
can be used under forward-look-
ing private enterprise and care
fully considered public enterprise
to raise the living standards OF
major segments of our popula-
tion."
Pact Should Cut Arms Outlay.
Mr.. Nourse thinks the North
Atlantic Treaty should result in
less rather than more military
spending, because it now gives
us the opportunity to re-examine
our military and foreign aid pro-
grams in the light of new stra-
tegic pattern" He puts 1t this
way:
I'm due time total expenditures
should be less, not more. Our
long-run program must combine
military preparedness with eco
nomic and financial preparedness
and, last but not least. conditions
of life that give the citizenry
deep conviction that theirs is a
political, social and economic sys-
tenn that is worth defending. 80
"A defense program that is
guided exclusively by the most
perfect military considerations
may be self-defeating. Such a
program may lead to insufficient
provision for domestic economic
and social programs or foreign
economic aid. and thereby may
impair economic and financial
preparedness here or abroad, or
give fuel to the development of
a fifth column. in our midst,
thereby undermining the security
which it was intended to ad-
vance"
Such SOLDERING words concern
ing militaristic trends in Wash
ington are not often heard nor
from such a high quarter. but
they are none the less significant.
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