LEND-LEASE IN RECONSTRUCTION

Evening Star, Issue 25344, 28 November 1944, Page 6

LEND-LEASE IN RECONSTRUCTION

AMERICAN PROPOSALS

(Rec. 8 a.m.) NEW YORK, Nov. 27. .The National Association of Manufacturers' Journal says the Government has changed, but not completely abandoned, its plans to use lend-lease as an instrument for bolstering Britain's hard-hit economy after the fall of Germany. It has adopted a new programme involving a grant in aid to Britain of about 3,000,000,000 dollars. The journal adds: "The British request for reconstruction aid was turned down at the Quebec conference as the result of widespread opposition. The new plan means that lend-lease will be used to enable the British to synchronise the rate of'conversion of their industries to ours.

"The plan will not be submitted to Congress as an administration proposal but, as a suggestion from American business. Such approach would effectively block any opposition that might originate frombanking and industrial circles, and once adopted it would serve as the basis for similar grants in aid for Russia, China, France,- and other allies. It would be a grave diplomatic error for America to make sucli a gift to one ally and not the others."