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SECRED .4 #1397, September 16, 2 p.m.o from Paris be embarking upon an enterprise doomed to fail through in- flationary pressures which many of the other NAT countries will be able to disregard to the added disadvantage of the French economy 11. Consequently the French do not wish to finalize any figures in detail until they know whether their medium and long term efforts will have to be made essentially on a national rather than on a cooperative basis. They also do not wish to indicate whether other NAT countries might contribute to France or vice versa until a common authority under, NATO has made defin'te assignments in troop strength and production to each country. It is likely that such asem signments would bring many of the countries up to a level of military expenditures approaching those contemplated by the French for themselves. only then could the financial share of the common effort be estimated for each country. 12. As to the high priority production program the French are going ahead in letting contracts. Although we have had difficulty to date in extracting from them the information required by Washington, I believe we will obtain it next week. (In connoction with this program because of the terms of the Congressional act appropriating MDAP funds, the anomaly seems to appear that a nation contributing both large troop strength and production and therefore taking on a dispropertionate share of non-fabrication expenditures is actually penalized as compared with a nation making the bulk of its effort in the manufacture of military items The French still hope to obtain our assent to non-fabrication expenditures being taken into account by us in granting MDAP assistance and this has held up the submission of a financial proposition on the h' "h priority production program). Per- sonally I have doubts as to the wisdom of their manufacturing some of the present >riority items, but since decision in rea gard to them lies in the military field, I have no comment to make on that subject, except to say that as is no doubt the case in our own and other armies this will result in waste, duplication and loss of efficiency in the production of weapons which ought to have been standardized. 13. In conclusion, it is my own belief that unless the economic and financial burden of rearmament can be equitably shared either all the gains achieved through the Marshall Plan in France will be cancelled out by an inflation the consequences of which expressed in deep social unrest and even revolt will make the effective rearmament of Europe impossible, or HADRY S. TRIMAN LIBRABY SECRET

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    "ocrText": "SECRED\n.4 #1397, September 16, 2 p.m.o from Paris\nbe embarking upon an enterprise doomed to fail through in-\nflationary pressures which many of the other NAT countries\nwill be able to disregard to the added disadvantage of the\nFrench economy\n11. Consequently the French do not wish to finalize any\nfigures in detail until they know whether their medium and\nlong term efforts will have to be made essentially on a\nnational rather than on a cooperative basis. They also\ndo not wish to indicate whether other NAT countries might\ncontribute to France or vice versa until a common authority\nunder, NATO has made defin'te assignments in troop strength\nand production to each country. It is likely that such asem\nsignments would bring many of the countries up to a level\nof military expenditures approaching those contemplated by\nthe French for themselves.\nonly then could the financial share of the common effort be\nestimated for each country.\n12. As to the high priority production program the French\nare going ahead in letting contracts. Although we have had\ndifficulty to date in extracting from them the information\nrequired by Washington, I believe we will obtain it next\nweek. (In connoction with this program because of the terms\nof the Congressional act appropriating MDAP funds, the\nanomaly seems to appear that a nation contributing both\nlarge troop strength and production and therefore taking on\na dispropertionate share of non-fabrication expenditures is\nactually penalized as compared with a nation making the bulk\nof its effort in the manufacture of military items The\nFrench still hope to obtain our assent to non-fabrication\nexpenditures being taken into account by us in granting MDAP\nassistance and this has held up the submission of a financial\nproposition on the h' \"h priority production program). Per-\nsonally I have doubts as to the wisdom of their manufacturing\nsome of the present >riority items, but since decision in rea\ngard to them lies in the military field, I have no comment\nto make on that subject, except to say that as is no doubt\nthe case in our own and other armies this will result in\nwaste, duplication and loss of efficiency in the production\nof weapons which ought to have been standardized.\n13. In conclusion, it is my own belief that unless the\neconomic and financial burden of rearmament can be equitably\nshared either all the gains achieved through the Marshall\nPlan in France will be cancelled out by an inflation the\nconsequences of which expressed in deep social unrest and\neven revolt will make the effective rearmament of Europe\nimpossible, or\nHADRY S. TRIMAN LIBRABY\nSECRET"
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