Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-07

and some of his associates intend
to leave Washington next week
end for Warsaw.
The Polish delegation also be-
lieves that the American offer
should be valued only at $50 mil
lion. not SIS million.
The Poles claim the other S25
million does not. meet their re-
quirements. The United States
is said to have suggested that
1t could transfer about SIS mil
lion worth of grain from its
Commodity Credit Corporation
stocks to West Germany at world
prices. Then Bonn would offer
to sell Poland comparable grains.
This. the Poles believe. is only
commercial transaction
They say they are not interested.
They had been led to believe the
United States was willing to sell
them surplus American grain at
bargain prices.
Basis for Asking Help
1t was on this basis that they
decided to ask for enough grain
to abolish the Stalinist system of
compulsory deliveries by peas
ants. They hoped to build grain
grain stockpiles sufficient to help
the country over the transition
period. during which they
expected peasants to withhold
grain from the market in the
hope of driving prices up.
Early last month Poland had
asked for about $500 million
worth of credits. two-thirds of
it to obtain surplus agricultural
products (mainly grain and cot
tom and fertilizers. one-third to
buy coal mining and farm ma
chinery.
Last week they were in
structed to set a minimum of
$3.50 million for this calendar
year. Those Warsaw instructions
have not been changed. but the
Poles here believe some COM
promise may be possible If the
Americans come through with
a substantial" increase.
The Warsaw delegation is
cheered by the repeated United
States indication that the ad-
ministration would probably IA
vor a large program later on.
There were indications in
Congress over the week end,
however. that the Americans
would find it difficult to increase
their offer.
Opposed by Bridges
Senator Bridges, Republican
of New Hampshire, came out
against a "multimillion-dollar
Polish aid program at this time. !"
He expressed the same view
Senate Republican Leader Know
land of California has been TAX
ing for several weeks, namely.
that any help this country ex-
tended to Poland would only
relieve Russia of fulfilling its
commitments to Poland.
Senator Bridges, who heads
the Republican Policy Commit
tee, acknowledged that the eco
nomic situation in Poland is
poor, but pointed out it is re-
suit. as in other Communist
controlled satellite nations, Of
their resources being drained of
by the Russians.
The New Hampshire Senator
said the Gomulka government
came into Office with a signed
agreement that obligated Mos
COW to provide Poland with food.
machine tools and other needed
commodities. He said these COM
mitment shave not been honored
and that Gomulka is now APP
pealing to the United States for
aid to avoid further unrest in
his country.
Points to u. s. Aim
1T is a free Poland that we
are trying to develop-not a
stronger Iron Curtain" he
added.
He also pointed to recent news
paper accounts of aid that Po-
land had promised to Commu-
mist North Wet Nam. He said
these reports stated that the
Gomulka government had COM
mitted itself to "a considerable
sum" to this satellite country
for construction projects.