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Show Economic Highlights Happenings That Affect Dinner Pails And Pay Checks The Marshall plan, as describ-. c d by the Secretary of State in his Harvard University address and afterwards amplified, is the clearest statement yet made on United Slates foreign policy as it applies to the rehabilitation of; Europe. Secretary Marshall decisively disposed of the idea that this country would continue to pour goods . and money into i Europe whether or not the receiving re-ceiving nations did anything substantial to help themselves. He made it plain that we would do everything in our power to advance the cause of European economic recovery but that an essential condition is that the suffering countries work out a plan of their own to make maxi- j mum use of their resources, to j increase production, and to practice prac-tice self-help on the largest possible pos-sible scale. The Marshall plan is thus more than a mere extension of the Truman Tru-man Doctrine. The Doctrine, as practiced in the past, consisted of material aid to foreign nations with few strings attached. It was in "the nature of an emergency measure to deal with an emergency emer-gency condition as in the case of the Greek loan. The Marshall plan is much more specific, and is designed to be of a permanent character. - Some, hard economic facts un-dcrly un-dcrly the Secretary's policy. It has become evident that there is a limit to the amount of goods we can sell, give or loan to Europe. Eur-ope. At the present lime, for example, ex-ample, only one basic commodity, wheat, is in excess production here, A number of essential commodities com-modities are still in short supply, sup-ply, and -production is barely adequate for our own needs. Heavy buying of such commod-i ities for foreign use has undoubtedly undoubt-edly been a factor in forcing up prices in our domestic market. No one was surprised at the Soviet Union's efforts to sabotage the plan. It seems undeniable that the Soviet leaders are convinced con-vinced that want and unrest create cre-ate a fertile breeding ground for the communist ideology, and are determined to fight democratic influences in every possible manner, man-ner, Russia's objection was the old one to the effect that the plan marked another step in Amcrir ca's imperialistic inarch toward world domination, and that it would involve intolerable interference inter-ference with the internal affairs of other powers. Secretary Marshall promptly answered that in a strong speech before the Women's National Press club. He said categorically that assistance assist-ance furnished foreign countries would be used only for relief or economic rehabilitation, and that it " should not be expended to serve selfish economic or political polit-ical interests." He did not men-; lion the Soviet Union by name, j but the implications were clear I when he said that in many parts of the "world the United States is the target of "''a continuous propaganda pro-paganda of misrepresentation." He pointed out that, far frpm trying to dominate the internal affairs pf other nations, we haye rapidly reduced pur once-powerful military garrisons abroad, and that "no political parties subservient subser-vient to United States Interests have been left behind in Euro pean countries to attempt conquests con-quests of governments from within."- And, finally, he said that since the end of the wdr this country has sent to Europe $9,-000,000,000 $9,-000,000,000 worth of goods. As the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union Un-ion continue to deteriorate with fateful rapidity, the power blocs in Europe become more firmly established- On our side we have England and France (England is not literally a part of Europe, but is assumed to be so far as political, economic and military policies are concerned), On the Soviet side are almost all of the Balkans and Central Europe. Spain is a question mark, the Franco regime being both antidemocratic anti-democratic and nnli-cpmmunistic. Some authorities think that Franco is on the skids, and report re-port that underground communist commun-ist strength in the country is growing, Germany, of course, is torn in aij directions, with the Russians carrying pn the most intensive efforts to develop their big ceppation zone. ' The hope for a United Ejarppe, so widely JjeLd during arui immediately afLef tfic war, is at ils nadir. The possibility of another war costs its lengthening shadow oyer all policies, ail ' negotiations.. Croncral Elsenhower, wha is cer-tainl' cer-tainl' no wttf'monger, has said that the chance of conflict within a year must be considered, end has asked Congress for larger Army appropriations. Dr. Einstein, Ein-stein, like some of the other top nuclear physicists and mathematician, mathema-tician, has said that a M -scale atomic war is possible in four to eight years. All this is a harsh commentary on the state of the world less than two years after the end of the most destructive I war in history. I -bOo- I The Wall Street Journal recently re-cently described what has hap- jpened in the case of the 67,000 i government - backed business 1 loans made to veterans since January, 1945. By and large, the GIs have proven good risks. As of May 25, the last reporting date, only 1412 loans had defaulted, though 3118 other borrowers were behind be-hind in payments. Blackest spot has been loans imade to start little trucking businesses. bus-inesses. Percentage of failures 'has been very high here, due largely to the fact that the ex-scrvice ex-scrvice people ran their equipment equip-ment to death and didn't service it properly. This seems to have been a hangover from their war experiences, when motor equipment equip-ment was expendable. |