Show A I 0 p P t America FJ Faces binT Task Gr of I. I t Finishing g Job in in Germany ny 5 New Policy Needed for Constructive Restoration Restoration Restoration ion of Reich British British a and d Russians t Y i Ahead of U. U S. S in m Creating Order wp I AW News s By Analyst BAUKHAGE and Commentator I Service 1616 E Eye e Street NW Washington D. D C. C En route to Washington This This Is being written somewhere over the Atlantic ocean in the bright sunlight several thousand feet teet above a ceiling ceiling ceil cell ing of snowy cloud Hours ago we dropped down on Santa Maria In Inthe Inthe inthe the Azores Into one of the Islands Island's typical gray windy winter drizzles After a good breakfast and a little littlerest littlerest littlerest rest we took off for tor Bermuda This Is not going to be a trav- trav J. J It Is a chronicle of some of the Impressions I have garnered as I watched America enter its second second sec sec- ond and phase as a world power actually actually actually actu actu- ally at work In attempting to build a new Europe Everywhere from almost the first day I reached the Paris airport and chatted with some Americans bound for an internatIonal j. j al labor conference to the moment 3 y a little while ago when a hospit hospit- rt rt rh able air corps general moaned low to me as he called caned It to the accompaniment of the wind outside everywhere I have heard earn earnest cst anxious voices raised In the same query Is America willing to finish the job r I heard this concern frankly exPressed expressed ex- ex oj pres pressed ed from frem the lips of American J u officials like Minister Murphy and Military Governor General Clay in inI I Berlin I heard another version of Ir r J it from Ambassador Caffrey in the American Embassy In Paris I Ii i heard It repeated by professors and andi i 1 doctors among the civilians and technicians and specialists among i the the who dot dor doing do- do j military the military men are t r f ing better than a good job as Byron By- By tf f ron Price said in the special report to the President in November I do not pretend to have been able to make mak as exhaustive a 3 study of conditions in American occupied occupied'S f S 'S Germany as Price did but what I r. r r J would like to do is to report some som e of my own impressions formed in discussing discussing discussing dis dis- cussing the main points he stressed 1 TH Although less than a month intervened intervened interN inter- inter N since Price wrote up his find fl it Ings and I followed his trail I get K the impression tha thai tha the civilization civilization tion of the American government In Germany has well begun and will I. I move steadily forward toward its goal of completion in June as Price t. t l. l suggests It should Personally It seems to me that it might be better betterto to set set- as a limit for tor the period of complete transmogrification from uniformed regime to plain clothes I t a measure of accomplishment Circumstances Ciri Cir- Cir fi i might alter 1 S i S' S Note Change P In Sentiment R r Typical of the rapidity of the change both In conditions In Germany Gerk Germany Ger Ger- k many and in sentiment at home is the question of whether America 1 would be willing wining to send enough food to Germany to prevent starvation and the epidemics which would surely be expected if German physical physical physical phys phys- ical resistance was not built up An increased amount of calories Is now assured and I might say that you would be surprised at the surprise expressed by a certain high official r rJ In Berlin when Washington came across Sentiment In that respect did change in the States but I am afraid it wasn't due to any keen realization that it was part of finishing finishing fin fin- fishing an Important job job- It was just a sentimental and charitable gesture typical of Americans who dont don't like Uke to see anybody starve It was not a practical response to a cold-blooded cold necessity Nevertheless we can write that point of oft off as on the credit side r r. Weve We've been spared a fight against disease But what about the twin j a factors stressed by Price and eve everyone everyone every every- ry one else who knows anything about Europe today the economic unification I cation and the French deadlock which prevents it How much knowledge or Interest is America dist disi dis- dis t i playing on that subject From what General Clay said to m me e I feel he believes a solution of his major problems Is impossible unless Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many Is united in a single economic unit There are no present pros pros- The French are stubborn and th their motivating emotion in refusing i to permit German Industry of the and Ruhr valleys to try to pay 7 4 j the nations nation's own way Is fear fear fear-fear fear r as It was from 1870 until 1914 when a It was justified And from 1939 that 1 s fear tear has grown Unless the rest of f i the world can allay aUay it it will be hard to c expect anything short of ot hysteria behind all French policy in International relations And certainly certain certain- ly American can never change the French attitude until France is as assured assured assured as- as that we do intend to finish the job Another problem mentioned In the Price report one which Is bein being widely discussed at the moment In Germany Is We received received received re re- a fright on the subject that was probably unfounded although It may have been true that some of the fairly dangerous were being given jobs which they should not have had Then we went to the theother theother theother other extreme instead of swallowing swallow swallow- ing camels we now strain at Nazis An amusing incident occurred A member of the military government set out In a methodical manner to get a list of the best experienced men for a certain set of jobs With the operation co-operation of a properly screened German he turned them up all right but when he submitted the names of the men and their qualifications all were put in Jail Jail- under the letter of the law the positions positions positions they had held under the Nazi regime made them subject to automatic automatic automatic au arrest This law is really only a directive which sets a certain certain tain minor title about equivalent to chief of a section in our federal government government government gov gov- as the dividing line Anyone Anyone Anyone Any Any- one above that rank Is considered per se a Nazi and suspect Russians and British have no such drastic standards and I was told of ot what happened to a German who lived right on the border of the American and Russian zones He came to the American Military government government government gov gov- and applied for tor an on administrative administrative admin admin- job and presented his cre cre- After reading them the American to whom he applied said I certainly wont won't hire you If It Idid Idid I Idid did you would be immediately ar ar- ar- ar rested As it is is since you have applied formally you will be arrested arrest arrest- ed in 24 hours anyhow My advice to you Is move across the street into the Russian zone and apply for fora a job there He did and was promptly hired by the Russians Confusion Marks U. U S S. S Operations There are two conflicting theories now In operation in the American zone One Is the theory attributed to General Clay namely that the Germans must help themselves Theother Theother The Theother other theory Is that we must help them help themselves or well we'll have to do all the helping In other words as one somewhat cynical gentleman expressed it If U we dont don't get the Germans where they can make enough goods to exchange for food well we'll end up by paying theother theother the theother other countries the reparations The Russians know well how to exploit German resources If U they see zee a factory which can produce goods they want and it Is not practical practical practical to move It to Russia they seeto seeto see seeto to It that German management Is permitted to operate as efficiently as possible and that German workmen workmen workmen work work- men get food or pay en enough ugh to make them efficient The British are likewise likewise like like- wise far more lenient than we They have no more Intention than the Russians Russians Russians Rus Rus- of building up a potential enemy enemy enemy en en- emy but they do intend to build up potential customers The Americans while they are no harder and no softer sotter toward the Germans as far tar as personal relations relations relations rela rela- go have hamstrung rehabilitation tion by putting restrictions upon German Industry and frequently employ a negative attitude which allows the natives to misdirect their energy I talked with an American busness business bus busi ness man who represents a large American firm which manufactures chocolate and baby food He discovered dis covered some of his factories were Intact and easily put back Into ac ac- tion But he found that the peasants peas peas- ants who formerly sold him their milk refused to do so because they were able to convert it to butter and butter on the black market Is gol golIn gold goldin In Germany Germany could use use the chocolate and baby food especially especially espe espe- t the e latter but the policy o ot of letting the Germans alone keeps those wheels Idle results In a loss to American business and cuts off a avital avital vital food which has to be supplied by the Americans |