Show Government Asks Reports fI 11 a On U S Holdings Abroad Form Supplies Valuable Information Information tion Concerning American Stake In For For- Foreign Foreign eign Lands Aids Reconstruction By BAUKHAGE News Nelli Analyst and Commentator Building BuDding Union Trust Service Washington D C landed Jones When Paratrooper plop In the midst of a afield field he had had never heard of In a country he only read about In books he was able to lead his comrades direct to toa a certain building whose purpose importance construction and con contents tents almost down to the last nut In detail and bolt were all known command by the American high Paratrooper Jones knew just where whereto whereto to get to the point he wanted to leave his dynamite and General Smith at atthe atthe the headquarters knew exactly the damage that would result to the enemy when that dynamite went off Neither would have had that in information formation if 1 a worrIed banker m in USA U S A hadn t painstakIngly filled out Form which had sent department the treasury him The informatIon asked for con tamed AmerIcan Investments in foreign for eign lands and the inform at on the government got back made It pos possible Bible sible for It to get the detailed blue blueprints blueprints prints of the factory that Jones blew up from the American firm which had bu built t It and m this case the constructIon engineer who had bossed the job The function of these annoying s which have already beat located ed American Investments in countrIes the largest single one of which is se seen en million dollars and the smallest forty dollars serves other exceedingly useful if 1 not as dramatIc purposes Other Functions One government official pointed out to me another important bon boa this informatIon plays in non boa military war wartime tune activities H He said The more complete information the government has on the total American stake abroad the more successful will be the efforts of our forces on the fighting fronts the themore themore more qUIckly will the Allied Mill terry tary Government GO be abl able to restore Civilian activities In reoccupied areas the better eqUIpped our representatIves representatives will be to safeguard the Interests of the AmerIcan people during the peace table d and the sounder will be the workIng out of postwar polIcIes in the field of internatIonal economic relation relationships shIps This survey of AmerIcan invest investments meats ments abroad is an Instrument of VItal importance to the future of thiS country Most other world powers have long since collected sImilar In InformatIon information formatIon They not only know the holdings of their thell own natIonals all allover allover over the world but theIr relations WIth those of other countries Their Thell plans are well formulated to protect and develop these investments In Our government believes we should not be less well Informed ThIs a rea reason reason son to In discussing thIS situation WIth me First First he wanted to stimulate the people who had received Form m in giving as complete a report as possible Second he desired WIde publIcity In the hope that other American citi citizens zens individuals corporations exec executives of estates trustees of charity charIta charItable ble organizations who vho might be able to furnish the Information inform a bon desired would get to In touch With the treasury department and turn It over to the Rehabilitation government ASide from its value to military men men the facts are exceedingly tin im important to the Allied officials who are administering rehabilitation in occupIed countries u If they know about a plant that has certain pro pro- production production facilities or trained people who can be used in producing what they desire it greatly helps their work It has proved in Sicily and will prove In Italy of great value to the Allied administrators to get In Information Information formation concerning the citizens so that they can pick those who are of known non Fascist leanings to co with them The information also of course is 11 exceedingly valuable to many of the government departments Claims Claun for Damage Another thing that the state de department department is called upon to do u Is to assist citizens In getting back their property In countries that have been affected by the war Also there is the question of claims for damage to American property There are more than people In Inthe inthe the state department alone who are arenow arenow postwar plans One now working on of thiS of the most important phases work IS the reopening of trade With rest of the war areas as well as the the world Of course the terms un under der which the trade is reopened may depend on the Industrial possibilities of the varIOUS areas and how soon the controls ot of foreIgn exchange can be dropped will depend m in a large part on the extent of the U Sand S and other foreign holdings of the obliga obligations bons of the country m question All thIS WIll affect our exporters here as wen well as American Interests In foreIgn countries The treasury department as you know has drawn up the WhIte plan for international stabilization stabilisation the British government has the Keynes plan None of these protects proJects treasury officials saId to me v which vitally of af affect feet the postwar movements of trade and capital can be intelligibly planned and certainly cannot be put into effect WithOUt adequate knowl knowledge knowledge edge of the value and type of United States Interests and the number and character of the persons having those Interests Many other important business negotiations such as private loans to foreIgn countries direct Invest Investments Investments ments by American corporations furthering the good neighbor polIcy WIll be affected by the Inform information a atlon tion m in the government s hands For instance If can definitely that In a certain area there is very little capital Invested m in a certain type of enterprise and It is known such an enterprise might be enlarged there the government might be able to encourage corn com companies panics With foreIgn experience to tode de develop elop such an enterprise The Moscow Conference Washington correspondents for the press ons and some of the country s metropolItan dailies as aswell aswell well as the network broadcasters lived on needles and pms pins for more than a day and a half ball before the news of the agreements reached at Moscow were released There have been many bad leak leakages leakages ages m in advance of important inter international national events recently The state department the Office of War In Information Information formation and the Office of Censor hIp have done their thell to American newspapers and radIo against these violations of prema premature tore ture release of important stories stones involving foreign countries The leaks usually have come through foreign officIals who whisper a afew afew few hints to some of their news men occur when news d radioed In advance for later release are pIcked up by the enemy or are dl di divulged In neutral countries Every effort was made to prevent such leaks in connect on With the Moscow conference The question of safety of the lIves of British and American negotiators was involved It was feared that If the fact that the conference was over was pub pub- publicly revealed the enemy mIght be beon beon on the watch to shoot down the planes carrying Secretary of State Hun Hull and British Foreign Min ster Eden and the r parties Some of us who were affected learned on the Saturday before the Monday of their official release that copies of the agreements had reached the state department earls earlI earlIer er We had guessed as much since the President commented on the success of the agreement the day before In his press and radio con conference conference ference We were told we would receive copies as far In advance as possible which meant that someone representing the various news agen agencies dies cies and networks had to be on duty day and night Finally the word came Monday morning that the mes messages messages sages were available and they were gIVen out at ten o a clock for release at one o a clock We therefore had bad three hours in which to digest the five separated separate documents Fortunately for me the one oneo oneo o clock release made it possible forme for forme me to report th story tory a minute and 19 11 seconds after It was given out on my one o a clock network broadcast |