SINEWS OF WAR

Evening Star, Issue 25067, 7 January 1944, Page 2

SINEWS OF WAR

BIG FIGURES IN LEND-LEASE REVIEW U.S. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ' REVERSE AID (llec. noon.) -RUGBY, Jan. 0. A wealth of detail about the vital United Nations war transactions is contained in the latest United States lend-lease report. The cost of lendlease aid from March, 1941. to the end of November last was 13.5 per cent, of all the United States war expenditure. The report states: American food is helping to maintain the rations ot the Soviet army, British soldiers, and war workers, and others at the front or behind the lines. Lend-lease is an essential element of the United Nations' strategy to win, principally with their own weapons*. Their factories use princiipally their own raw material and equipment. Their peoples raise most of the food they eat, but lendlease supplies have been essential to supplement their own resources. Aeroplanes, guns, raw materials, food and other goods transferred were 87 per cent, of the total aid to date. Transfers of finished munitions were 53 per cent, of the total. Industrial items were 21 per cent., and foodstuffs and other agricultural products 13 iper cent. Of the total.

An upward trend has been due in large part to the sharp riso in aircraft, ordnance, and other munitions transferred. Munitions were 61 per cent, for the first 11 months of 1943. Rental and charter of ships arid ferrying ot aircraft were most important services, being over half the value of all services. Much of the balance consisted of training combat pilots, repair or warships and merchantmen, assembly of aircraft abroad, and similar war services.

Over 600 million dollars have been expended on guns, aeroplanes, and other war production facilities in tho United States. This represented a substantial addition to our own industrial capacity. These plants have not been transferred to foreign Governments. Some are producing munitions for our armed forces.

Our Allies have been able to strike more damaging blows. and are fighting more strongly than ever by the side of our own forces. The war will be much shorter for it.

This, of course, is the principal war benefit the United States receives under the lehd-lease programme. THE CONTRA ACCOUNT. In addition, the United States is receiving directly as reverse lend-lease without payment substantial supplies provided by'the Allies within the limits of their material and financial resources. Up to last June, the United Kingdom spent for reverse lendlease to the United States 871,000,000 dollars, New Zealand 51,000,000 dollars, India 57,000,000 dollars. Figures did not include supplies and services to United States forces in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and elsewhere. Similar aid is being provided by tho Belgians and French. The United Kingdom, New Zealand, and India also agreed to provide without payment the raw materials, commodities, and foodstuffs previously purchased by us in Southern Rhodesia and the Colonial Empire. Similar arrangements, states the report, arc under negotiation r with South Africa and Australia. British shipping to carry these supplies, which include such strategical materials as rubber, rope fibre, chrome, cocoa, tea, and oils is also under reverse lend-lease. The French have similarly undertaken to supply strategical materials for' North Africa. CHINA AND RUSSIA'S AID INCALCULABLE. We are also receiving reverse aid as need arises in China and the Soviet Union. Both had. to strain their own man power, transportation, and other resources to the utmost in fighting our enemies on their soil, and have not been in a position to provide large amounts of aid. The real measure of the aid we and the other United Nations have received from China is the 6£ years during which our indomitable ally has engaged large Japanese armies with ever-increasing losses to the Japanese. The real measure of the aid we and the other United Na-

tions have received from the Soviet ' people is to be found in Stalingrad, Kharkov, Kiev, and in the million Nazi soldiers killed, wounded, or captured who will not be able to oppose our forces in Western Europe. And so it is with all our fighting allies —the British, whose forces fought a Mediterranean campaign considerably larger than our own; the French,who fought with us hi Tunisia and are fighting now not only in Italy, but as an heroic army of underground resistance in France itself. The money cost of reverse-aid, great as it is no sure measure of the help we receive from our allies. The principal allies contributed fully in proportion to their resources. THE TOTALS. The total United States war expenditure, including lend-lease, increased from one-third last year to one-half this year of the national income. The report continues that shipments to the Soviet Union have been over a quarter of the lend-lease exports to all countries. For the first 10 months of this year the shipments were 63 per cent, higher than for the whole of 1942. Tn October we sent the Soviet nearly 7,000 planes—more than anv other lend-lease country—over 3,500 tanks, 195,000 motor vehicles, including trucks, jeeps, and motor cycles. We also shipped 1,790,000 tons of food and agricultural products. These have been largely items in which production has fallen far short of requirements, including wheat, flour, sugar, canned meat, edible fats, oils, dried fruits, and vegetables. The Soviet urgently requested butter for the army, particularly for the many wounded'soldiers recuperating in hospitals. We were able to send 33,400 tons. No butter has been scheduled for lendlease export to any other country. The United States received as reverse lendlease 8,250 tons of butter from Australia and New Zealand for the Pacific forces.