Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-24
How powerful is America?

In an address in ST. Louis the other day.
William c. Foster chief of the Economic Co
operation Administration gave an answer that
should be required reading for anybody in this
country who tends to be short sighted, defeatist,
faint-hearted or irresolute. 1t should be required
reading, too, for the editor of Pravda who has
just declared, for the umpteenth time, that the
United States is on the verge of a gigantic
collapse and depression.
Here is the answer: within the coming 10
or "a months rearmament will be well along.
We shall then command physical force-and
! the resources to back it-roughly equal in de-
fenSive strength to that Of all our friends and
possible enemies combined This is a sweeping
statement, but true. Compare the dollar values
of gross national products. That of the Soviet
sphere, including European satellites and Red
China, is about Sis billions That of our allies
in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is
about $3.50 billions. It is already clear that before
our rearmament is complete we alone will prob
ably exceed $500 billions"
In contemplating this power-an unprece-
denied and unparalleled productive capacity for
either peace or war-Mr. Foster, while strongly
emphasizing the danger of aggression and the
need for constant alertness against it, has come
to the not unreasonable conclusion that the men
of the Kremlin must realize that the days in
which they can move beyond their own borders
without meeting immediate reprisal are num-
bered." At the same time however, he has
cautioned against the idea of regarding American
strength as something to be concentrated solely
on the military aspects of the defense problem
involved in holding back the Soviets. In his
view, the solution of that problem-the problem
of permanently checkmating the aggressor and
preventing global conf1ict-requires also that
we employ our might in a practical economic
sense to help build safe world of ascending
freedoms and conditions of life"
Thus. in carrying out the Marshall Plan,
the ECA has proposed to the participating
nations that they step up their production by
500 billions year. This they can do with
relatively small American aida kind of lubr-
cant-if they continue to improve their industrial
and agricultural techniques, increase manage
ment efficiency lower trade barriers and take
similar action that could hardly fail to promote
much higher living standards throughout West
ern Europe. Indeed, according to MIR. Foster,
the Marshall Plan has already succeeded in pro-
viding NEARLY enough machine TOOLS nearly
enough electrical power, nearly enough farm
implements" to enable the free Europeans to
achieve a 100-billion- dollar expansion In their
annual productive capacity "weIl within the next
decade"
nSCo1u1Isly, III MI rUStcI > WOTQS, near
future attainment of this great and reckoning
European goal is mot so wild a dream" Nor is
it so wild dream to think of American-backe
programs stimulating similar progress elsewhere
on the globe. Actually it is more necessity than
a dream. For the simple fact is that we must
help our friends, East and West to have better
life ii we are to have safe world-"a world in
which men can achieve what they require by
more sane means than war" world "in which
there are amending incentives and inspiration
to work ard to build" world we should do our
utmost to promote because it is the only kind of
world that promises an end to seeing our sons
march off to boot camp, air base and canton
ment"
Mr.. Foster has spoken wisely and we'll of our
tremendous American power and of how 1t can
be used to make reality of the dream