AID TO BACKWARD COUNTRIES

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25737, 24 February 1949, Page 5

AID TO BACKWARD COUNTRIES

U.S. To Submit Plan This Week

PROPOSALS SAID TO BE BOLD

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8.40 p.m.) NEW YORK, Feb. 22. “President Truman’s bold new programme of aid for economically backward countries calls for a relatively modest financial outlay by the United States—perhaps 50,000,000 dollars to 100,000,000 dollars,” says the ‘‘New York Times.” “The main effort will be to lure tremendous amounts of private capital into areas that can be made highly productive. ‘ “The Assistant-Secretary of State (Mr Willard Thorp) will place the programme before the United Nations Economic and Social Council this week. It is believed to be even more ambitious than the Marshall Plan. It will differ from that, however, in using relatively small amounts of public money.

The plan calls ultimately for all participating countries to fuse their forces in the world’s first globally integrated campaign to raise levels of production and standards of living in underdeveloped regions. It will offer long range United States financial and technical leadership in a vast programme of co-ordinated assistance on many fronts by international, governmental, and private agencies. “The United States is prepared to tell the United Nations that it will in many cases bear most of the initial cost.

“The programme involves the sending of missions to advise on agriculture, trade, health, transport, education, and other vital activities, along with limited funds and materials to get construction programmes under way.”