"This is from a Canadian newspaper.
AMERICA : THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
Widespread, but only partial news coverage was given recently to a
remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a
Canadian television commentator.
What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in
the Congressional record:
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the
most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the
Earth. Germany, Japan, and to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were
lifted out of the debris of War by the Americans who poured in
billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these
countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to
the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans
who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on
the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When the earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that
hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were
flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars
into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are
writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see
just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the
United States dollar build its own airplane.
Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing
Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC-10? If so, why
don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia
fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider
putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about the Japanese
technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about the German
technocracy, and you get automobiles.
You talk about the American technocracy, and you find men on the moon.
Not once, but several times and safely home again. You talk about
scandals, and the Americans put theirs in the store window for
everybody to look at.
Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on
our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws,
are getting American dollars from Ma and Pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down
through age, it was Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania
and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old
caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help other
people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else
raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside
help even during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I am one Canadian who is damned
tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this
thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to
thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present
troubles.
I hope Canada is not one of those."
AMERICA : THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
Widespread, but only partial news coverage was given recently to a
remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a
Canadian television commentator.
What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in
the Congressional record:
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the
most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the
Earth. Germany, Japan, and to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were
lifted out of the debris of War by the Americans who poured in
billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these
countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to
the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans
who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on
the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When the earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that
hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were
flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars
into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are
writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see
just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the
United States dollar build its own airplane.
Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing
Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC-10? If so, why
don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia
fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider
putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about the Japanese
technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about the German
technocracy, and you get automobiles.
You talk about the American technocracy, and you find men on the moon.
Not once, but several times and safely home again. You talk about
scandals, and the Americans put theirs in the store window for
everybody to look at.
Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on
our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws,
are getting American dollars from Ma and Pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down
through age, it was Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania
and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old
caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help other
people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else
raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside
help even during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I am one Canadian who is damned
tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this
thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to
thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present
troubles.
I hope Canada is not one of those."
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