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WORLD ECONOMIC CONFERENCE TO BE@HELD AT MOSCOW

How to end spreading paralysis o

AN INTERNATIONAL confer-
ence is scheduled to take place
in Moscow a few months from
now to study the practical means
to improve economic exchanges
between nations. The announce-
ment of this conference has
groused great interest in many
-countries. Several hundred ex-
perts, ‘economists and manufac-
turers will meet to compare views
and together seek ithe best solu-
tions.

Why this interest and why this
conference? It is because the
present economic relations be-
tween the countries of east and

- west are scarcely satisfactory.
International commerce is fetter-
ed by political decisions and meas-
ures which can paralyze the de-
- velopment of the forces of pro-
duction of the entire world.

Since the end of the war, inter-
national economies have been
characterized by two great phe-
nomena. bes

On the one hand, the expansion
of production. Despite the de-
vastation caused by ‘the war,
humanity today produces much
‘more than in 1939. This expan-
sion is general, but its rhythm is
not everywhere the same. In

all, the United States (which did
not suffer from the war, or less
from this point of view) doubled
its industrial production; the So-

viet Union (whose losses were im-
mense, but whose recovery was
even more remarkable) has equal- ~
ly doubled—and even more than
doubled its industrial production;
_the western democracies have in-

creased theirs by about 35 per-
cent; and the people’s democra-

cies (which have suffered more

‘from the war than the western
democracies) raised theirs by

. about 50 percent. f

In all likelihood, this develop-
ment of industrial production
will continue in almost the same
rhythm in the years to come.
All economists, whatever their
leanings, foresee the day when
Soviet production will reach,

‘then surpass that of the United
States. And the European Econ-
omic Commission, organized by
the United Nations, estimates
‘that between 1950 and 1960 the
capacity of industrial produc-
tion for western Europe will in-
crease by about 50 percent and
that of the people’s democracies
by about 100 percent.

Thus the world’s total capacity
_ for production has not only been
re-established at its,pre-war level,
but has greatly increased.

We eee

AND HERE is the second char-
acteristic phenomenon: along
with the remarkable re-establish-
ment of the production there has
gone no corresponding re-estab-
lishment of international trade.
The great currents of exchange,
ewhich were little by little estab-
lished in the world, have been
destroyed. Their re-establishment
has been paralyzed by political
measures) which constitute a
grave hindrance to the develop-
ment of economic life and inter-
national relations.

Examining the “difficulties
which threaten to endanger the
development of production and
trade” in the world, Gunnar Myr-
dal, executive secretary of the
Economie Commission for Eur-
ope, wrote in May, 1950: “One of
“the greatest difficulties consists
in the almost complete cessation
of economic relations between
astern and Western Burope.”

He added further that, “it is
mot so much a matter of an eco-
nomic problem as a question of
high politics, the implications of
which go far beyond production
and trade,” and he underlined the

‘

catastrophe.

serious consequence which this
paralysis of international trade is
presenting now and will present
more and more for the countries
of the east and for the countries
of the west. These consequences
he saw resulting especially from
the cold war.

’ What Gunnar Myrdal said in
1950 about economic relations be-
tween eastern and western Eur-
ope has not ceased to be true in.
1951. Rather his opinion must be
applied not only to the economic
relations existing between the
two parts of Europe, but to the
economic relations of the entire
world. More and more the eco-
nomic relations between the coun-
tries of the east and the countries
of the west are becoming difficult.
More and more, two economic
and political groupings are tak-
ing shape and two blocs, closed
to one another, are being formed.

* x *

THERE IS no need to demon-
strate that this state of things is
deplorable. It is contrary to the

Re has Me : pases Sse
For the Western countries, exports is

interests of peoples and to the de-
fense of peace. For all peoples,
whatever their economic or poli-,
tical regime, are interested in
collaborating and, economically,
it is the exchange of diverse pro-
ducts which is the most natural
form, the form most necessary to
civilization. f

It is very evident that if they
received a more considerable vol-—
ume of equipment and tools pro- |
duced in western Europe or Am-
erica, the European people’s de-
mocracies and the Asian coun-

tries could accelerate their devel- |

opment and their struggle against
poverty. And it is also evident
that if they could export more to
eastern Hurope or Asia, the old
capitalist countries of Europe or

America would no longer be driy-
en to make the tragic choice im-
posed on them by the cold war,
the choice between unemploy-
ment and the race to rearm—
these two evils which are an

‘equal menace and one of which

risks leading the entire world to

question of life or death

But I would like to emphasize
some other specific aspects of the
problem posed by the growing
paralysis of ‘economic relations
between east and west.

And first, we must observe that
the small countries, more than
the large, are victims of this
paralysis. A great country can
have the means to produce by
itself all that its population needs
—or it can have the illusion that
it can produce everything. Even
this illusion .is forbidden to the
‘small country — which obviously
cannot find on its territory the
wide range of raw materials re-
quired by modern industry.

‘

The curtailing of international
trade between east and west re-
sults thus in obliging the small
countries to orient themselves,
especially in their economic rela-

tions, toward Moscow or New
York. The division of the world
in two blocs is thus precipitated
and reinforced—with all the un-
favorable economic and political
consequences to which this divi-

f world trade

sion gives rise. A

And here is the second ob-
servation: It is thd western coun
tries more than the eastern coun-
tries which Stand to lose by the
paralysis of international trade.
Tt is in particular western Burope
which would be the first victim of
this state of things if it were to
be prolonged.

Indeed, the old western democ-

yacies have much more need to
export than the people’s
racies haye to import.

people’s
stacles to. importing tools or

democ-
For the
democracies, the ©D=
equipment constitute a serious
hindrance to their development, @

plow to stop them in their steady

advance. But for the democ-
racies of western Europe it is 4

question ‘of life or death; they

cannot live without exporting;
without increasing their exports;
and it is exactly in the countries
of Europe and Asia that they can
find markets for their exports.

* * *

THESE FEW remarks permit
us to measure the importance © ;
the problems which will pe dis-
cussed at Moscow. If we wish to
protect humanity from great
troubles and great misfortunes, if
we wish cooperation to replace
the cold war, we must overthrow
the obstacles which stand in the
way of economic exchanges be-
tween Hast and West. -

As was demonstrated by the
work of the Economic Commis-
sion for Europe, these obstacles
ate primarily political. And the
men who go to Moscow will not
have political power. Does this
mean that there is any likelihood
of their meeting turning out to
be useless?

By no means. These men will
be quite independent in their dis- >
cussions and work. They will
not seek to favor a particular
country or system. They will .
pool their experiences and their
knowledge and skills. They will
show to the whole world that
there are other paths to follow
than war and its preparation.

The essential object of their
meeting will be to prove that

there is a way out of the cold
war-—not to make war, but to
build a new world, where all
peoples and ali systems will try
their luck.—PIERRE COT.

‘MISSION TO ATHENS’

POWERFUL SHORT SHORT

UJPO Drama Workshop scores

THE DRAMA WORKSHOP of
the United Jewish People’s Order
scored a decided hit last Satur-
day in its first presentation of
Mission to Athens, a short, short
play by Allan Max, which was
published in the August issue of
Masses and Mainstream.

Powerful and intense in its
dramatic conception, the play is
a page ripped out of the ugly
history of American reaction of
the; twenties and fitted into an
equally ugly cold-war page of the
fifties.

Despite the imposition upon the
Greek people of a police -state
regime, backed up by American
dollars and bayonets, the revolu-
tionary struggle of the Greek peo-

ple to preserve their great tradi-

tion of culture and drama is
ceaseless and indestructible.

Mission to Athens tells the story
of Aleutheria Patrinos and her
assistant, Kosmos Dimitrous, who
decided to introduce to the Greek
people through the medium of
their theatre, the dramatic story

of Sacco and Vanzetti. _To over-
come some of the difficulties and
restrictions of a police state, they
have sought the aid of Kenneth
Finchley, an American “ambassa-
dor of dollar-culture” in the ser-
vice of the U.S. State Depart-
ment.

It transpires that Finclfley, un-
der the name of Kurt Farrels, is
actually the author of the play
which the Greek patriots now
wish to present to their people—
but he wrote it in another role
and time he is now anxious have
forgotten. Unaware of the nature
of the play being prepared, Finch-
ley is all for the promotion of
powerful dramatic art to pene-
trate “behind the iron curtain.”

When Aleutheria Patrinos re-
cites the last message \of the
“good shoemaker and a poor fish
peddler,” the “ambassador of
dollar-culture” is transformed
into a common police informer,
shamelessly abandoning his as-
sumed rise in the preserva-
tion of people’s culture in Greece,
for the preservation of his own

shrivelled soul and his. job in

the service of Yankee imperial-

ism. Even his wife, Julia Finch-

ley, an American woman of ster-

ling character and integrity,

tosses him overboard as she aids

Aleutheria Patrinos to evade the

police her husband has tipped off.

* * * 3

ANN COHEN, playing the part

- of Aleutheria Patrinos, turned in
a splendid performance. In her

acting, in her face and voice, one

could sense the deathless strug-

gles of the Greek people to pre-

‘serve the beauty and content of
their ancient culture. | Harry Le-

vinson played the role of Kosmos :

Dimitrous, and did a fine job of
demonstrating the inherent sus-
picion of every Greek worker at
the sight of an American “am-
bassador of culture” bearing gifts,
and cold-war advice,

The difficult Finchley role was
play by Harry Gofsky, who de-
monstrated great dramatic capa-
bilities, with one marring weak-
ness, a tendency to be too stiff
and rigid, which better direction

should enable him to overcome-
Clara Friedman as his wife
Julia also turned in a fine job,
but a little more dramatic indig-
nation at the discovery that she
had married a police informer
and run-of-the-mill Yankee heel,
would have strengthened her in
terpretation of her important
role. Searl Friedman played the
_ role of policeman, and like every
‘worker on or off stage, didn’t
seem to relish the job too much.
Playing the “cop” in a drama
portraying the deathless hero?

ism of Sacco and Vanzetti, T& —
lived by the heroic people 9%

Greece, is an unenviable role 2
best. P

In all, Mission To Athens was

, a topnotch job by the UJPO
Drama Workshop, and the grouP

is to be congratulated for pring-
ing something really worthwhile

to the stage. A little more atten=
tion to stage setting, space an®

lighting, and UJPO’s presentation

of Mission To Athens is top-rank- —
drama, worthy of capacity aud-

jences.—TOM McEWEN.

Sa

a a a a en

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 2, 1951 — PAGE 10