Evening star., 1952-06-22
MutuoI Aid

SlQer1ng buying EurOpean-made
planes to equip North Atlantic
Treaty armies has focused at
tention anew on the contro-
versial military "offshore pro-
curement" program.
If the plane deal goes
through, it will be the biggest
move to date in a plan designed
to provide Europe in three OF
four years with the broad in
dustrial base it needs for effec-
tive Communist resistance.
The "offshore procurement"
program is sparkplugged by the
armed forces with mutual aid
money and some Defense De-
partment funds. Despite its
gobbledygook name, it is a fairly
simple program in conception.
The United States buys goods
in the NATO countries, equips
the NATO armies with these
goods, and spurs the military
potential of our European Allies.
In a number of cases, the pro-
gram is wiping out unemploy-
ment and the Communist
famed unrest that inevitably
accompanies it.
The offshore procurement
program has been going on for
about a year now. If all goes
well, the Army's procurement
officials expect that by 1855 or
1856 the European countries will
be in good enough shape to
handle the bulk of their own
military requirements. But for
the year-to-year uncertainty
Of congressional appropriations
and this country's traditional
Buy American" attitude, the
hoped-for result might be
achieved even sooner.
Opposition
There is considerable oppoSi-
ton to the Governments spend
ing of American dollars over
seas. Opponents point out that
much of the materiel needed
over there could be made here
and shipped over. The Army,
on the other hand. puts forward
three reasons for building up
offShore procurement:
1. Most European-made items
are cheaper than identical items
manufactured here. In other
words, the dollars will go far
ther if spent abroad.
2. If the goods are produced
in Europe, there is no expensive
and time-consuming shipping
required to get the commodities
to the place where they will be
used.
8. BY contracting for materiel
over there, we are aiding Eu-
ropes defense economy to get
on its feet, just as We helped
the civilian economy recover
under the Marshall Plan.
The Buy American Act of
1888 has been a big stumbling
block to the program to date.
The worst seems to be over, but
there still is much objection
from some Americans on the
ground that the spirit of this
depresSion-born law is being vi
olated.
Actually, the Buy American
Act says in general that mate
rialS bought by the United
States Government for official
use shall be made or purchased
in the United States. Propo-
nents of offshore procurement
hold that the law does not ap-
ply to purchases made by this
Government for the use of other
countries under the Mutual Sc
curity Act and similar laws.
In some respects, offshore
procurement is nothing new.
The term means simply things
that are bought beyond the
shores of the United States. In
this context, the Government
has been buying offshore for
years. But most of the things
we bought during and after
World War II were consumer
goods that the Army needed
then and there. Milk and but
ter from Denmark, eggs from
Holland, fruits and vegetables
from Italy are examples.
Accent on Militory
But the new meaning of Of
shore procurement is almost
entirely a military one. And
there is another difference
Many of the things we buy
now go not to the United
States Army at all, but to the
other troops Of the NATO bloc.
Not only is it cheaper to buy
shells for French guns In
France, it seems to be the
shrewd thing to do. At the
end of World War II. Frances
armament industry had been
destroyed by the Germans
France had the capability to
make ammunition, but not the
capacity.
There would be two ways to
L get France back into the arma-
4 ment business. One would be
the complete Lady Bountiful
/ approach: Give her everything
she needed for the production
of arms and ammunition. The
other would be what the United
States has been doing: Place
orders for munitions and lei
France figure out how to fulfil
the contract and earn precious
dollars.
Results So For
Apparently, it has worked Out
well. When NATO was set up
the French were given large
numbers of 105-millimeter how
itzers, the standard artiller.
piece Of the American Army. II