Evening star., 1951-06-23
Trade With the Enemy

on American economic aid to countries that
trade with Russia and her satellites is breach
Of faith on the part of the administration re-
mains to be seen. Some Republicans, as one
would expect, say that 1t is Democratic spokes-
men, as one also would expect, say that 1t Is not
There is no doubt that this legislation, which
is known as the KEN amendment and which was
passed as rider on an appropriation bill, was
designed in the interests of national security
to permit some discretion in it's enforcement
There is equally little doubt that it would have
been impossible for many of the affected coun-
tries to have met the requirements of the KEN
resolution by its scheduled effective date of
June IS.
What remains in doubt, and which is at the
heart of this whole matter is whether the ad-
miniStration intends in any circumstances or at
any time to bring pressure to bear to stop this
business of trading with the enemy.
1t should be clearly understood that the KEN
amendment Is not something that was whipped
up on the spur Of the moment by handful of
impetuous uninformed Senators. Congress tried
year ago to curb the sale of strategic materials
to Iron Curtain countries by nations receiving
economic aid from the United States The
Senate imposed a mandatory ban. In confer
ence with the House, however this was changed
to permissive ban. The administration was
authorized, but not required, to withhold ECA
assistance from countries that were trading with
the enemy. This resulted in discussions but not
In any effective remedial action.
!: Senator KEN told the Senate last month that
he had tried to find out what the National Sc
curity Council (the responsible agency had done
under the pernissive arrangement. $50 far as
my information goes" he declared, 'it has done
nothing but negotiate and consider. Not one
gun, not one barrel of gasoline, not one ton of
rubber has been withheld from the Marshall
Plan countries which were shipping materials
of that kind to Russia and her satellite nations,
including Communist China. What the Senate
wants, I think, Is definite, mandatory law,
with no ground for horse trading, no ground for
discretion but definite direction to ECA not
to send any materials to Marshall Plan coun-
tries or any financial assistance if they are
shipping materials of war to Russia or her
satellites"
Under the spur of disclosures that countries
allied with us in the Korean war had been carry
ing on lively trade with the enemy, the Senate
this year again adopted mandatory ban. Once
again, however, it was watered down in confer
ence, and some degree of discretion was author
ized Now, according to the Republicans, that
discretion is once more being abused.
The facts in this connection have not been
fully developed. Although Senator KEN spoke
OF shipping materials of war" his amendment
bans from trade an exceedingly broad list of
goods. Some are not materials of war in any
ordinary sense few Marshall Plan countries,
such as Austria, might not be able to survive If
all East-West trade should be banned And the
administration is making effective use of these
arguments.
But these arguments are, or should be-
beside the point. The real point is that the
Cfof6 aof no r;u ail 80
tries if those countries, in turn, are building
up the military potential of the common enemy
by their trade practices. If the administration
will not willingly use economic pressure to put
stop to this-and the record does not indicate
that it will-then Congress should adopt some
workable legislation, with no loopholes, that will
compel 1t to do So