Evening star., 1952-01-01
Eisenhower Winds Up
Year in Europe With
Big Credit Balance
By Gault MocGowon
North Amerieau Nswspuper Aliiones

NcASoAAALAEHo, JdH. 1.-1tS q
happy New Year at Gen. Eisen-
hower's headquarters near here as
he ends the first financial year
OF his commandment in the red,
like harassed European deficit
f1nancier-but with a big credit
balance to carry over into 1882
Commercial banks have been
invited to tender for the privilege
OF keeping the unspent interna-
tional-defense millions.
I'VE may as well have some
interest on them," Gen. Eisen-
hower'S financial controller said
at Supreme Headquarters. Allied
Powers in Europe. 1--WE only need
a working fund of Is per cent Of
the total. which lies at present
In the national banks of France,
Italy and Norway"
SHAPES controller is 42-year-
old Naval Paymaster Guillaume
le Bigot. 1947-50 financial chief
OF the French Ministry of De-
Tense.
Delays Slow Spending.
I'VE have not spent our esti-
mated 1851 needs yet, because
Of technical delays. So the year
ends with a large balance in hand.
France has overpaid its contribu-
ton, too, subject to adjustments
on special account, in addition
to giving a house to Gen. Eisen-
hover. a chateau to Field Marshal
Viscount Montgomery, this site
for SHAPE headquarters, engi-
neering services, Fontainebleau
Castle for ground-command head
quarters. and part of a forest for
central air headquarters"
The controller did not disclose
the amount of the carryover, nor
the total amount of the estimates.
1t is understood that the budget
runs into approximately SIS mil
lion.
I'VE had to invent a brand
new system of keeping military
accounts when we opened the
budget and finance division of
SHAPE in July" he continued. I'll
don't think that at any time in
the worlds history has system
been worked out for keeping ac-
counts between military allies in
peacetime.
New System Set Up.
''The only record was the sys-
tenn used by civil organizations,
such as the League of Nations
and U. N. We copied a little bit
from the Organization for Euro
pean Economic Cooperation,
which was established under the
Brussels pact to recommend Mar
shall Plan allotments. This was
set up in Paris by French experts,
so it was easy for us to under
stand.
contributions are paid regu-
larly by the nations, according to
two different scales; one for cap
ital costs, the other for current
expenditure. Our estimates cover
costs of installations here at
SHAPE, Fontainebleau. northern
command in Oslo and southern
command focal points in Naples,
Florence and Verona.
The IL nations make their con-
tributions on a special scaling: \
Scale l-U. S. A., U. K. and
France; 2-Italy and Canada; 3-II
Belgium and Holland; Norway, II
Denmark, Portugal; 5-Luxem-
bourg and Iceland. IL
Since three Of the nations
ended their financial year March
81. three others on June 80 and
six on December 81, we decided on
the calendar year as our budgetary |
basis.
Three Budgets Made.
Though we only started ac-
counting this summer, we have al \
ready made three budgets, one
for the first six months of 1851, \
In arrears; one for the second six
months. just ending, and our first 4
for a complete year, ready for /
1852"
SHAPES money is spent on |
civilian personnel, 70 clerks and /
stenographers of all nations, rents
and new construction, information |
and intelligence services. Military
men are paid by their own gov
ernments. The budget includes
barracks for enlisted men of the
staff. Accommodation for officer
personnel has been constructed
from an approximate SIS million
fund established by the French
government to be amortized on a
rental basis. This has helped |
economic the SHAPE budget.