TRUMAN’S BOLD NEW PROGRAMME

Grey River Argus, 24 February 1949, Page 5

TRUMAN’S BOLD NEW PROGRAMME

To Aid Countries That Are Backward

(Rec S. 10) NEW YORK, Feb 22. President Truman’s, “bold _ new programme’’ of aid for economically backward countries, calls for relatively a modest financial outlay by the United States —perhaps 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 dollars,” says the “New York Times.” The main effort will be to lure tremendous amounts of private capital into areas that can be made highly productive. The Assistant-Secretary of State, Mr Willard Thorpe, will place the programme before the United Nations Economic and Social Council this week. It is believed to be even more ambitious than the Marshall Plan. It will differ from that, however, in using relatively small amounts of public money. “The plan calls, ultimately, for all of the participating countries to fuse their forces in the world's first globally'-intergrated campaign to raise the levels of production and the standards of living in all the underdeveloped regions. It will offer longrange United States financial and technical leadership in a vast programme of co-ordinated assistance on many fronts by international governmental and private agencies.

“The United States is prepared to tell the United Nations that it will in many cases, bear the bulk of the initial cost.

"The programme involves the sending of missions to advise on agriculture. trade, health, transportation, education, and other vital activities along with limited funds and materials to get construction programmes under way.”