MARSHALL’S APPEAL FOR U.S. AID TO CHINA AND EUROPE

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1947, Page 8

MARSHALL’S APPEAL FOR U.S. AID TO CHINA AND EUROPE

WASHINGTON, November 12. The 300,000,000 dollars in aid proposed for China over a period of 15 months would be aimed at easing the terrific inflation in that country, said the United States Secretary of State (General G. C. Marshall) at a news conference soon after he had told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the United States Government expected “about 70 per cent, efficiency” in the use of any funds voted for China.

He also told reporters that he still hoped that Marshal Chiang Kaishek’s Nationalist Government would take in representatives of other parties, thus broadening its political base and making it more democratic. General Marshall urged this action when he returned from China last year. General Marshall said that a decision on the proposed 3,000,000,000,dollar fund to stabilise western European currencies was still under consideration by the National Advisor}’' Commission. Such a fund was recommended by the Paris conference of 16 western European nations, but was rejected by the Harriman Committee. Earlier today General Marshall appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to explain the Administration’s plan for staving off hunger, Communism, and accompanying political unrest in Europe this winter. He sought repeatedly to impress on members the need for speed in supplying funds to tide over Italy, France, and Austria until the spring. He said that Italy would be “at the end of her tether” by December 1. He asked approval of what he called his “rock bottom” sum of 597,000,000 dollars for emergency aid by December 1, and gave a warning that costs might rise if there were further delay. ' General Marshall told the committee that he intended to renew the United States proposal for a 40-year four-Power German non-aggression pact at the Council of Foreign Ministers in London. Russia had previously rejected the proposal. General Marshall said that he considered it very important that Europe’s people should not feel they had been left in the lurch by any .sudden withdrawal of the American forces.