Evening star., 1961-06-18
A COMPLEX OPERATION
BY JOHN GERRITY
Contributing Writer

BY JOHN IEHhlTI
Contributing Writer
How much has the United States
spent thus far on foreign aid? For
what was the money spent? And
who have been the principal ben
eficiaries?
Since the Nation first seriously
undertook the task of underwrit-
ing the economic welfare and mil
ltary security of the Free World
starting with the Breton Woods
Conference of 1944-it has spent
a total now unofficially. set at
$84.1 billion.
Of this, $57 billion has been
spent on all forms Of economic
assistance, and $27.l billion on
military defense.
Portions Of this vast sum-twice
as large as the total Indebtedness
incurred by the Nation in the
first 165 years of its ife-have
gone virtually to every country in
the world, except Russia. Red
China and most Of the Soviet
satellites.
Yet, even many Of these have
benefited indirectly through
United States contributions to
international organizations. such
as the World Health Organiza-
ton, the United Nations Technical
Assistance Administration and the
international Civil Aviation Or
ganization, to mention q few.
Few, If any, of mans activities
or affairs throughout the world
have escaped the benevolent brush
Of American largess.
Where Money Goes
Money has gone to feed the
hungry everywhere; to build fac
tories and homes. roads and
steamship lines, schools and hos
pitals.
1t has, at times, helped to shore
up the sagging governments OF
nations like Korea, Italy, Iran,
PakiStan and Cuba.
1t has been used to meet every
conceivable human need from
diapers to dams.
And. since the end of World
War II, it has been spent on
amaSsing in various parts Of the
globe the most awesome collec-
ton of devasting weapons ever
assembled.
Not included in the total OF
$84.1 billion are some sums ear
marked for the defense Of several
nations, particularly some in the
Near East and the Middle East.
These remain secret as do the
outlyas of such organizations as
the Central Intelligence Agency,
and. indeed, they may never be
revealed.
Excluded also from the current
debate on aid programs Except,
of course, for forensic purposes)
will be costly previous excursions
into foreign assistance.
Chief among these was the lend
lease program, which ran roughly
from 1941 until 1945. 1t cost the
United States approximately SAT
billion.
The UNRRA Funds
During the war and quite apart
from lend-lease an additional Sc
billion was spent on foodstuffs,
fuel. clothing, textiles and medical
supplies. Such aid was distributed
mainly by the armed forces. 1t
was intended to provide relief
until later rehabilitation and re-
covery programs were established.
Then came the United Nations
Relief and Rehabilitation Admin
istration. Relief under UNRRA
cost the United States more than
So billion and went principally to
liberated nations unable to buy
supplies to meet their immediate
needs.
Foreign aid, as we have known
it until now, has been a postwar
extension of the lend-lease
philosophy.
When the Breton Woods Con-
ference met in 1914 this philoso-
ply prevailed and, with it, the
hope that the transitional" stage
between the disruption caused by
the war and reconstruction would
be relatively short.
1t became quickly apparent,