Show r ti I 1 S WEEK W E E X in washington il WA U S fanner Fa ritter is lit front line american farmers tire are being moved into the front lines in ilia cold war with russia washington officials this week are revising the world war 11 II slogan food will win ilia hie war and write the pence peace to read food is one of our most important weapons in tile battle against communism our ot of food a state department official t tells lis us Is as s import ant lit in the cold war as our stockpile of 0 atomic bombs the first can build a peaceful world the second could de dc stroy stray it this sudden on food as an implement of our foreign policy la Is somewhat in the nature of a me too answer to recently announced russian plans to expand food production tor for use in winning new friends the principal battleground in the developing peaceful war will be india Pal pakistan burma and the middle east all are areas where food Is the most pressing economic problem considerable quan titles of food principally from the U S already are being shipped in food to win friends the decision to win friends and influence people in the cold war through use of food is an adoption on an internal dional scale of the long accey ted axiom that the most direct route to a mans heart Is through his stomach heretofore our primary purpose in financing the export of foods has been to reduce our own excessive s supplies up and to relieve the price burden they impose on U S farm prices we have charged off the cost more than 7 billion to farm subsidies within the past few months russian dictator nikita dhru has opened up a second f rant front in the cold war the objective as we have reported is to spread comma cism to uncommitted nations through trade and aid our state department is now awake to that challenge not long ago it asked the agriculture department for a au survey arvey and report on current and prospective surplus surp lusts cs a of f foods over the next five years USDA was asked to use lase all precautions to prevent the information becoming public secretary of state john fo foster ter duties dulles then asked john 11 II tavis D davis the highly regarded former assistant secretary of agriculture to make an ap of the USDA report food for have not immediately upon completion of his appraisal davis was sent by dulles to southeastern asia to work closely with india and theother so called have not nations having appraised probable supplies he now Is making a study of food needs within recent weeks there has been an abrupt about face in ill the official attitude to ward our 7 5 billion govern ment owned stockpile of farm commodities chiefly food and feed it is becoming more of an asset less of a liability congress at the urging of the administration soon will appropriate an additional 3 billion for use in financing exports of farm products chiefly foods to be giva away or paid for in currencies 01 the importing countries and then retained by those countries as long term loans state and USDA have agreed that between 1 15 5 and 2 billion a year will be needed d in each of 0 the next 5 years f MI for purchase of additional farm products over and above present surpluses to keep the program going |