Evening star., 1950-01-15

Another reason is deep concer
omy will become so shaky, as the
result of extravagant expenditures
abroad, that we shall be incapable
of defending ourselves against the
Soviet Frankenstein we helped to
create.
And, finally, there is a growing
feeling that the billions we are
planning to spend in rearmament
of Western Europe may be thrown
away because of the war-weariness
of the peoples of the Atlantic pact
The American Government is
committed to provide the equip
ment for about Is divisions among
the nations of the Atlantic pact
But there is increasing fear, even
among the advocates Of that plan,
that the war material may not be
used if the Russians decide to
strike at time when we can
scarcely spare the money to build
up properly our own national de-
fense against Soviet attack from
Siberia.
This neo-isolationism is differ
ent from that advocated before
the last war by the America First
organization. The America Firsters
were opposed to any military pre-
paredneSs. They maintained that
a substantial increase in our mill
tary establishment would only lead
to intervention in the war going
on across the Atlantic.
Heavy Postwar Spending
The neo-isolationists believe in
the strongest possible military
preparedness at home. They be-
lieve in a substantial increase of
our air arm, our ground forces
and to a lesser extent the naval
forces. But looking at our budget
which is in the red-and at the
commitments we have made across
the seas, they do not think an
increase in the cost of our ma
tional. defense is feasible.
So far we have spent nearly
$35 900 100000 since VI day on
all kinds of "stop-communism-in-
Europe" schemes. We are the
only country in the history OF
the world which is paying 'in-
demnity" to the defeated nations
After having crushed Germany
Italy and Japan we now are
spending more than $4,000, ,0O0, ,0Ol
a year to put them back on theil
feet. If we had not done that
it is argued, all those countries
with a population of nearly 170,.
900, ,000-might have gone over tt
the Communist side.
In Italy alone we spent nearly
So ,000,000,000 in cash to defeat
the Communist Party at the last
election. In order to prevent the
Communists from making real
gains in a prostrate Germany we
have to spend more than $1,000,-
100000 a year in helping to put
the German economy back on its
feet.
It is difficult to guess when we
will be able to stop our subsidies
to Western Germany. The Ger
mans are working hard and would
like to be on their own. But many
difficulties lie in the way of their
full economic recovery.
Neither France nor Britain, our
closest Allies, like the idea OF
meeting German economic COM
petition. This explains their de-
termination to dismantle the Ger
man factories. Officially we were
told that If German industry is
permitted to remain intact-even
after a large portion has been
dismantled-the risk of another
German aggression would be
great.
This argument. however, con-
cealed the real reason, namely,
the fear of the French and British
governments to compete once
more with the Woodworking Ger
mans in a restricted world market.
Taxpayers Burden
Both the British and French
can afford to adopt such a policy.
It does not cost their taxpayers
a nickel. But with us the situa-
tion is different. The American
taxpayer must foot the bill not
only for the armies of occupation
in the Reich but also for many
of the Bonn governments require
ments. If we refuse, we are told,
the whole structure of that
democratic government will go to
pieces and we will be faced with
a Communist Germany in that
area which is so close to the
Western Union.
Over and above that we are
spending money on the Marshall
Plan to keep the Communist bear
away from the Western European
countries and we are now to ship
war material of all kinds to the
Atlantic pact nations to permit
them to organize their armies as
a defensive force on the Rhine.
But whether the European ma
tions actually will use that war
material II the Russians strike is
another question.
Our Government has been as
sured by. the governments Of
Western Europe that they will
fight if they have the means to
do so. The European generals
and admirals have assured their
American opposite numbers of the
same thing. But nobody has
ever attempted to ascertain-even
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