Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1951-08-14
The World Today
LETTING OFF STEAM
Ry James NARROW

sss=ss " FNSsReN0f G8Nf E0Gs WITT
The next fiery business in con-
gress will be the foreign aid pro-
gram. Goals are being heaped on
it now.
There are two issues: How much
money should be spent on it? and
who'll run il
Reason for the upcoming fight:
Our foreign aid In the past was
mainly economic. fSow the nature
of that aid has changed.
Now it will be combined econ
on1ic-miiitary h p. 1t will be
mainly military, giving arms. And
the cost will be greater.
When the Marshall Plan wa S
created four years ago 1t was ex-
pected to end by 1852. BY then
the need for it was expected to
end.
1t was to help western Europe
recover from the war. If 1t had
collapsed communism might have
been able to take it over from
the inside, without firing shot.
Europe made good recovery.
But this country and wester
Europe realized new danger:
this country and western Europe
were not prepared to stop COM
munism If il attacked with arms.
The attack on Korea was the
snock that drove the u. S. and
western Europe ii..o re-arming.
Two new problems arose:
/. Western Europe needed mill
tary help from us. 1t couldn't pro-
duce all the arms it needed.
2. It needed continued economic
help to keep upgits living stand
ards, for the more arms its fac
tories produced. the less goods
for civilians there'd be.
So far S12, 1900, 100000 has been
pumped into the Marshall Plan.
But Secretary of State Acheson
says the new econonic-military
program of aid will cost S25, ,000,-
100000 in the next three years.
Of that S25, ,0O0, 100000 Presi-
dent Truman has asked Congress
to vote $500, 100000 for this
next year: $780, 100000 for
arms; $4,000, 100000 for economic
aid.
The biggest part of this help
is for western Europe. But some
will 60 to the near East Latin
America, ard countries OF Asia.
AS he has in the past on other
programs, Senator Taft, Ohio Re-
publican, says the amount asked
by Mr.. Truman sounds too high.
And even one of Mr.. Truman S
staunchest supporters on previous
aid programs, Senator Connally,
Texas democrat, got angry over
the scope of this program and the
drain on the taxpayers
So the question of cost vii I
be fought out. Equally unsettled is
the question of who'll run it.
While our foreign aid was still
strictly economic. under the Mar
shall Plan, two agencies had chief
interest in it: ECA the Econ
omic Cooperation Administration
which congress created to run
the plan; and the State Depart
ment, which runs our foreign poll
icy. @
Since the foreign aid and our
foreign policy were tied in to-
gether, ECA and state worked
hand-in-glove although ECA re-
manned independent. Congress
wanted it that way.
when the Marshall Plan w S
being approved i'll 1947 George
c. Marshall. now secretary of de-
fense but then secretary of State,
wanted his state department to
be big boss over foreign aid but
congress wanted the aid handled
independently of state and set up
ECA.)
FCA and state would still have
a top interest in the new program
but. since it involves military help
as well as economic, Marshall's de-
Tense department which does our
military planning at home a n d
abroad. has an equally vital in
terest in it.
That makes three agencies with
a ,hsnd in the new plan. Suppose
they can't agree on a problem,
Who, then, will have final say?
Mr.. Truman, although vague
about it. has made it pretty plane
ne wants Acheson's State Depart