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by FRED ALEXANDER
The Big Four Conference that started November 25th is again underlining
the impossibility of collaboration with Russia. There is every indication of a break with the Soviet. The German and Austrian peace treaties, which were to be written in concerted agreement, may be completed by the United States, Britain and France. There is a certain finality, or sense of completeness, in the fact that the Big Four is holding what appears to be its last conference in Lon' don, the locale of the first meeting two optimistic years ago. Many well-in' formed people believe it is too late to win this "cold war" with Russia. The idealistic One World has become Two Worlds in reality.
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The Marshall Plan, now officially named the European Recovery Program — which alphabetizes euphoniously into ERP — gives preview promise of emerging from Congress completely malformed. Mr. Truman has been challenged by a Republican Congress to make the first affirmative move — a positive move to save Europe. This will quite possibly be checkmated by a ntgacive move stimulated by Senate Boss Bob Taft, who is already busy on proposed legislation to limit the appropriations asked for by the Marshall Plan.
The Marshall Plan must go through. Economists know it. Foresighted government officials know it. Smart business men. are sure of it. In 1939, our exports amounted to 2.8 billions of dollars. Today, our exports average around 14 billion, a terrific increase brought about by the present world condition. The increase in revenue to United States industry, far from being healthy, is termed "artificial" by economists. Already this inflationary buying by foreign powers is beginning to
slack off because they are running out of American dollars with which to make their purchases. If the United States would wash its hands of the whole European affair, aside from the political consequences, our foreign trade would collapse like a punctured balloon. Our entire economy is delicately balanced on the knife edge of foreign exports — a knife which is being held by nothing so solid as a hand. Therefore, the Marshall Plan is a "must" for the United States as well as for Europe.
The Save Food for Europe Program, produced by Charles Luckman and blessed by the White House, remains a dubious measure at best. Conceived on the spur of the moment in order to present the over-fed public with some more or less tangible means for combatting the world food shortage, voluntary food rationing meets with no one's wholehearted endorsement, not even that section of the public most likely to protest the return of official rationing. For political reasons, Senator Taft's "eat less plan" detracted from, rather than contributed to, the nebulous solution. The Tuesday-Thursday plan is an infinitesimal answer to an overwhelming problem. Whereas voluntary rationing would turn the trick if honestly adhered to, too many over-weight Americans are letting their neighbors save that all-important slice of bread a day. By the way, if every American did eat one less slice of bread a day — it would result in a daily saving of 3,000,000 loaves of bread all over the country.
Although not even the Sunshine Class expects the voluntary food conservation plan to fill the pantries of Europe, United States' officials hope that it will condition