America: The Good Neighbor

Widespread but only partial newscoverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast fromToronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. Whatfollows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in theCongressional Record:

This Canadian thinks it is time tospeak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the leastappreciated people on all the earth.

Germany, Japan and, to alesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war bythe Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billionsin debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on itsremaining debts to the United States.

When France was in danger ofcollapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and theirreward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I wasthere. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is theUnited States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 Americancommunities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.

TheMarshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars intodiscouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing aboutthe decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one ofthose countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United Statesdollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have aplane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the DouglasDC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International linesexcept Russia fly American Planes?

Why does no other land on eartheven consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanesetechnocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, andyou get automobiles.

You talk about American technocracy, and youfind men on the moon – not once, but several times – and safely homeagain.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs rightin the store window for everybody! to look at. Even their draft-dodgersare not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most ofthem, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollarsfrom ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France,Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans whorebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central wentbroke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

Ican name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of otherpeople in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else racedto the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help evenduring the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced italone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kickedaround. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And whenthey do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that aregloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one ofthose.

Stand proud, America!