GOODWILL AIM

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21580, 6 December 1944, Page 2

GOODWILL AIM

U.S. AND DOMINION mr gjreenbie’s mission TO AID UNDERSTANDING '"'if you misunderstand us, the danger is to New Zealand and not- to America, because the nation which fails to understand another is always tiie one in danger,” said Mr. Sydney Greenbie, special assistant to the American Minister iff New Zealand and head representative of the U.S. Office of War Information for New Zealand, when. he addressed the weekly luncheon of the Gisborne Rotary Club yesterday. _ "We misunderstood the Japanese,' - lie added, "and as a result were caught unawares."

As special assistant to the American Minister. Mr. Greenbic said, his task was to endeavour to correct some ot tiie misunderstanding which had already unfortunately crept into the relations of tiie two countries. The fact that New Zealanders confessed to knowing little about America and Americans in turn admitted scant knowledge of New Zealand was an advantage insofar as it permitted ‘•starling. from scratch." “Misunderstandings have grown, however," he event on. "and. like gorse, they are likely to spread. It is our job to keep them under, and I am here in my capacity as an individual to'help in this task.”

Library of Information

The U.S. Library of ■ Information in Wellington contained 2000 hooks. 200 magazines and 5000 public documents, all "of which had been written for Americans and not sDecially for foreign consumption. This was one means by which the pepples of the two countries would be assisted to understand erfeh other and the processes ’ey which the world had reached its present complex stage. “Before tiie war a good deal was heard of the have nations and the have-not,' nations, and of the former the United States was supposed.to be the richest,’’ Mr. Greenbie continued. "We were not richer than any other nation in the world, but we had freedom to develop our resources and that freedom has made us what we are to-day. Your own country shows that where people are free, progress does not lag. : “For 250 years Spain had control of a large area, of our country, and during that time there were about 15,000 people inhabiting tire area between Mexico and California. In the course of 100 years 50.000.000 people have found well-being, contentment and affluence iii that territory. It was not the resources of America that made the country rich but tiie freedom the people had to develop tiiose resources.”

Builders, Not Fighters

It was generally believed ihal Americans were inclined to brag but. while admitting that the "tall" story was a popular one in the United States, the speaker pointed out that what might seem almost unbelievable to New. Zealanders was insignificant to Americans themselves. There was no bragging in statements that in the United States before the war Ihere were 25.000.000 cars <or that there were libraries containing 4,000.000 books or more. These were simple facts and it was essential for the two peoples to see each other against their own mental landscapes.

“Our .boys are not out' in the world looking for glory or opportunities;'' the speaker continued. “We are proud of what-they have done, hut vye do not want to be known as''fighters. We wish to be known as builders, as creators.” •

Referring to the war production of planes, - tanks, and ships, Mr. Greenbie said that it was‘forMho other Allies to judge whether America had reached the objectives she bad set herself. Tiie war had resulted ipmany. changes, one of the most striking being the transfer, nrohnbly for all time, of from 13.000.000 to 1G,000.000 '.people to .different - areas. In three years over 3.000,000 had moved from the eastern border regions to the western States. Factories and airports had sprung up overnight and dam construction, which had already, enabled desolate regions to become productive, was destined to transform Arizona into a great producing land. Struggle Against Poverty

“The America I know is a country of work and energy,’’ Mr. Grecnhie concluded. “We came by things easily because we were free to get them and do our work as builders. We will go even further after the war with slum clearance and road-building and towards a solution to the problem of unemployment, which we are already facing up to energetically. We do not deny that there is poverty in America but we do not accent it as a necessary thing. We are always fighting it and struggling against it because we are a free people.’* In thanking Mr. Grecnhie for' Ids address the Mavor, Mr. N. If. Bull, felt that all would welcome the visitor ns. an emissary of goodwill between the two great English-sneaking nations, the British Commonwealth and the American Republic. Earlier in the war ft was the might of ihe latter’s forces that had driven the feared Jnnanese back from the shores of the Dominion, and kept fhem •where they were. Thinking New Zealanders were crateful. and it was imperative Ihat all should close their ears to the foolish rumours and other means by which endeavours were being made to sow seeds of dissension. the root sources of which were Nazi propaganda.. F,;