European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse 3aturday, april 24, 1948 l in Frankfurt this month Western military governors and German leaders adopted a unified program for Erp Aid to their zones communist menace spurs German recovery by Jack Raymond recent congressional action and political considerations have accelerated the. Plans Abr Western Germany s participation in the european recovery program i the soviet Union wants a communist Germany. To turn Germany communist she must prove that the economic policies of the West will bring disunity and misfortune. To prove this she is doing her Best to thwart the Aimson the european recovery program. The other members of the Allie control Council the United states great Britain and France representing most of the rest of the world want anon communist Germany. To prevent communism they must revive Germany economically and place Germany s re sources in the common Germany is no Mere Pawn in the struggle for Power. She is not expendable. Each Side has made promises. Among them is the Promise of Unity. I this is not fulfilled in a reasonable length of time the germans May Rise in resurrected nationalism achieve their own form of Unity and once More plague both Marshall plan is a simple offer on the part of the United states to place at the disposal of those who really want to help themselves the surplus wealth of the United states so that danger of War poverty and communism May be has now decided that the extent of the United states surplus wealth in the first year of the plan is. About $5,310,000,000 credit on american raw materials and manufactures. I Paris presently the sixteen nations and Western Germany Are working out the details of International Trade whereby they can prove they Are Worth the in vestment for simple As the plan is its implementation is intricate. Difficult As Are the problems of other participants those of Western Germany Are most difficult. The Western half of Germany Wither priceless Ruhr District is in greater economic dumps than any other participating nation. However if Germany s industries Are to be rejuvenated to Point where she once again dominates the continent what guarantee the French especially ask is there against the revival of the War machine ? on the other hand if Germany s industries Are not restored to working order where will the countries who need her goods obtain them in these Days of world shortage i n Germany if first things Are to com first it is food. Even when the re sources of Eastern Germany known As her breadbasket were available to the West Germany imported food. Even in peacetime she found it difficult to pay for her food imports. More than one and one half billion dollars Worth of food has been brought into Western Germany s Ince the end of the War but her Economy is still kaput and her people still hungry. To get a return on Germany s industries raw materials must be provided As Well As food. An idea of what it can Cost is indicated in the German Sugges Tion that $1,960,000,000 Worth of imports nearly half of which would be for food should be poured into the British and american zones out of Erp funds in the first year. That s roughly one third of the entire sum which was voted by Congress for All of the participating return Western Germany offers Coal Iron steel Timber and various manufactures especially some machine tools. Coal of course,1 is Germany principal wealth. But the germans say they can contribute 730 million dollars Worth of exports to the common Pool if they themselves could retain 64 Mil lion tons of Coal in the Biz onal area for their own Germany is bound by previous agreements to Export Coal to her european neighbors on a sliding scale of her production and if this sliding Scales to remain in effect the germans figured they would be left with 59 Mil lion tons. With All of Europe looking tothe German Ruhr for Coal the Ger mans said they must import Coal them selves five million tons from England. Coal is a Good example of the Wacky state of economic affairs Here because it is so ofter in the Public mind. Steel is no less an illustration. Although the Ruhr s steel capacity in spite of bomb ing and some dismantling is greater than Ever in its peacetime history the Ruhr s output of steel is so Small that steel and Iron Semi finished products Are a major item in the proposed import budget. The steel plants need Coal and the mines need steel. Of course Coal production could be increased to tremendous Heights but the germans to raise Coal production need food. Even if the ration could be increased with 700 million dollars Worth of imported food As suggested by the military government the Normal con Sumer would get Only 1800 calories daily still below what the nutrition experts feel is necessary to Good health. The above estimates Are German ones at Paris the same experts who after months of paring came up with so huge a request for Marshall plan Aid can see for themselves what actually is available in View of the needs of others. There is so far no provision for top level German participation in the Paris con Ference. A few German ec6ndmists, called upon from time to time by the military government delegates Are to sit by and revise their plan As allocations of the Overall sum Are with experts of other members of the permanent commission they Are expected to discuss such things As pit props for Coal mines Power Supply for electricity and other technical details. There away from their Homes they can get a better idea Why the Foo they ask for May not be entirely Avail Able Why it May not be entirely True that plants being dismantled in Ger Many represent wasted. Efforts which could be better used if the plants stayed in Hile the Allied dismantling pro Gram has. Been subject to severe criticism both by germans and Many americans there Are some coun tries which put up a Strong defense of the principle of reparations not Only Asa requirement rehabilitation of their own industries but As a guarantee against future German emergence As an Industrial Allied dismantling program Al though revised since Potsdam continued on Page 16 5
