American Aid

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30095, 1 April 1963, Page 14

American Aid

President Kennedy prob-; ably appointed General i Lucius Clay's commission ' on foreign aid to ease the Administration programme through Congress this year. If so, he must be grievously disappointed by a report that urges a scaling down of the attempt to do “too * much for too many ”, Since this is exactly the view of Mr Otto Passman, of Monroe. Louisiana, who has made a career m Congress by cutting foreign aid funds, the President must; expect heavy revision of his current plans. This will not only cause anguish among Some of the disappointed beneficiaries but also handicap the President in his political and diplomatic planning. It may not. however, be a bad thing to Blow down for a while a Campaign of unprecedented benevolence that one way or another has provided the world with 100 thousand million American dollars (or roughly £30.000 million sterling) since the end of the war

To heavily-taxed Americans the burden of foreign aid may seem greater than it really is. and the prospect of easing it remote, now that the quick success of the Marshall Plan has been followed by the painfully •low progress of the poorer nations that lack adequate human resources. The burden has not been made any lighter by the bad grace with which Amencan generosity has sometimes been accepted. A cut-back now will show the American taxpayers that the eost of this investment in •timuiating world trade and promoting democracy has pot been as high as they thought, though it is, of course, the immediate cause •f the current balance-of-payments difficulties As for the 80 nations that benefit. B reduction will remind them that they cannot expect American bounty as of right, and that they should make better use of it when they do get it Some South American investors. for instance, took their money •ut of development projects while American capital flowed in. If the programme is to be slowed down, the time is politically opportune phen Russian foreign aid has virtually ceased, partly because it succeeded, perhaps too well in persuading peutral nations of their independence and partly because Russia’s internal needs have become more pressing. Some review of the aid programme at this stage is desirable for purely administrative reasons. In his enthusiasm for a dynamic approach to the “new “ frontier", President Kennedy has made so many personnel changes that the Channels of communication have become blocked. Deci-

sions are being made too slowly. some perhaps wrongly. While the new A.I.D. Administrator, Mr David Bell (former Budget director), is overhauling his' machine he should find a reduction in its activity helpful. But one agency that should not suffer in the process is the Peace Corps, whose requirements are few and whose achievements are great One of the few real successes of the Kennedy Administration, the corps has attracted and inspired young men and women of the highest quality. A year ago it had 700 volunteers working in 12 countries. Today, at the invitation of the countries concerned. 4000 volunteers are serving in 40 countries, and their number will grow to 9000 by the end of the year. James Reston has described the corps as a symbol of the post-war generation’s protest against the belief that American youth is seeking material security more than anything else. A spirit of adventure and a sense of mission in satisfying the needs of others are the only rewards of these volunteers. And in their example they supply to the world the best kind of aid that the American nation has ever been able to offer.