Initiative With Britain

Northern Advocate, 14 June 1947, Page 5

Initiative With Britain

Ml- Bevin said Britain would consult France and other European nations on the best way of taking advantage of the United States offer.

“I think the initiative will devolve on us to direct and lead Europe back to a healthy state. “France, Britain and the United States, almost in a direct line geographically, have a great common interest.

“We must proceed, as far as Europe is concerned, on a functional basis, with the problems of food, coal and transport. “We must direct our minds on a creative basis to bring back Europe's productivity.

“While Europe is the first and most urgent problem, our plan must be to bring greater productivity and a flow of trade and exchanges throughout the world." DEFEND CHARTER Mr Benjamin V. Cohen, who was one of Mr Marshall's chief advisers at the Moscow Conference, in a speech in California, said the United States must make it clear that it was determined that the law of the United Nations should prevail and that it was prepared to use all its power and resources “veto or no veto” to defend the basic law of the Charter. Mr Cohen added that as an American contribution to world economic security the United States would probably have to export as much as 5,000,000.000 or 6,000,000.000 dollars in goods and services to Europe, including Britain, in the next three or four years.

The United States is drafting a plan which proposes the expenditure of up to 24,000,000,000 dollats, mostly from the United States, in the next four years to revive the economies of democratic European nations and check Communism, reports the United Press

correspondent in Washington. The plan has been rapidly developing since Mr Marshall’s Harvard speech. Although Mr Marshall said the proposal at least on a geographical basis included the Soviet, it is recalled that he said that “any Government which manoeuvres to block the recovery ol other countries cannot expect llelja from the United States.” Hence in the absence of a reversal of Soviet tactics, Mr Marshall’s formula would establish an anti-Communist line in Europe. 13 caps