NOVEMBER,1946 339 large-scaleproductionortheirtraditionalstandardofcom- fort.Thelesson,M.Monnetsays,mustbedrivenhomethat Francecannotafordnottomakethetremendousefortcaled forbythenewplan." Thislast,asGeloandAndreashow,isthereverseofthe truth:plannedeconomy,asunderstoodhere,meanslarge-scale production and alowstandardofliving.Andinfactthere- portcontinues:"OnejobisconvincingtheFrenchpeoplethat thedriveformodernizationofantiquatedplantsmustcome beforereconstructioninastrictsense. . .Thereisnotimeto rebuildhomesbecausenewfactoriesmustcomefirst." TheRuhr Is HadsomeonetoldLeninandTrotsky in Socialized 1923,whentheywerestrivingtobring offaGermanrevolution,thattwodecades laterthegreatestindustrialcomplexinEurope--theRuhrRhinecoal,steel,chemicalandmachineryindustrieswould be(a)socialized,(b)bytheBritishLaborParty,without either(c)worldcapitalismshowingmuchinterestonewayor theother,or(d)thecauseofcommunismbeingadvancedperceptibly—Isayifsomeonehadtoldthemthat,thoseMarxist politicianswouldhavebeen,putingitmildly,incredulous.Yet althesethingshavecomeabout.InhisreporttoCommonson Oct.23,ForeignMinisterBevinannouncedthatbasicindustriesintheBritishzonewouldnotbereturnedtotheirformer owners."Asaninterimmeasure,wehavetakenoverpossessionandcontrolofthecoalandsteelindustriesandhave vestedtheminthecommander-in-chief.Similarstepswill shortlybetakeninthecaseofheavychemicalandmanufac- turingindustries.Ourintentionisthattheseindustriesshall beownedandcontrolledbythepublic. . .Weshalsupportall Germanplansforsocializationofbasicindustries." Thisisperhapsthemostimportantforeign-policydecision bytheLaborGovernmentsincetherelaxationoftheBritish griponIndia. ItshowshowthoroughlytheNazis—andthe wardestroyedthebasisofcapitalistclass-ruleinGermany; itraisesthequestionofwhetherbasicindustriesintheAmer- icanzonewillnowalsobesocialised,andifsowhataboutour worldcrusadefor"freeenterprise,"andifnot,howcanthe twozonesbeeconomicalyintegratedaccordingtoByrnes' proposaloflastsummer?Aboveall,whatistherelationof thissteptothecauseofsocialism?Thatpublicownershipis preferabletoareturnoftheruleofGermanbig-businesssems obvious.YetiscolectivizationimposedbytheconquerorwithoutanyreferencetotheaspirationsoftheGermanpeople— nomassexpressionevenexistsoftheseanyway—ofbasic politicalsignificance?Mayitnotbeusedaseasilymoreso, indeedto laythefoundationforGermanwarproduction underBritishtutelageasforabravenewworldoffreedom andHseoreciawlisemh?avethemostgiganticeconomicchangepossible inEuropeandyetitmakeslittlestir(the N.Y.Times ac- tualyfailedeventoreportthispartofBevin'sspeech;myinformationisdrawnfrom P.M.) anditspoliticalimportis ambiguous.The"point"inpoliticshasshiftedfarawayfrom theMarxian"economicbase." Plurentberg ThedefinitivejudgmentontheNuremberg trialistobefoundintheOctober7issueof Baron's, afinancialweekly:"thediference betweenjusticeandvengeanceisthattheformerapplies equalytoall."Anenormousamounthasbeenwritenproand conthejudicialvalidityofthetrial.But Barron's semstohave cuttotheheartofthe•materas,incidentaly,didGeorg Manninhis"MoralityatNuremberg"inourJanuaryissue. Ifaggressivewarfareisacrime,thenmayweexpect-aLenin- gradTrialinwhichtheleadersofRussia'satackonFinland BibliotecaGinoBianco in1939-1940willbedulytriedandexecuted?*If"crimes againsthumanity"aretobepunished,whenmaywelook forwardtothehangingofthosewhokilledmilionsofKulaks, saboteurs,andother"enemiesofsociety"in their camps;orto theexecutionofthosewhoputtodeathwithouttrialor ceremonysomehundredthousandmen,womenandchildren ofHiroshimaandNagasaki?"Thediferencebetweenjustice andvengeanceisthattheformerappliesequalytoall." Murder, I t isalittleironicalthatsomuchprotest Compounded hasarisenaboutthemoralbasisofthe NurembergTrialandsolittle—infact, Ihaveseennone-aboutthemoralityofcertainotherexecutionswehavebeencaryingoutinGermany.Ironicalbecause thedefendantsatNuremberghadallofthemcommitedor connivedatunthinkableatrocities,whilethedefendantsin theseothertrialswere,inmyopinion,guiltyofnocrimeatal. IrefertotheexecutionsbytheU.S.Armyofseveralscore Germancivilianswhowerefoundbyourcourtsmartialto havetakenpartinthemobkilingsofAmericanfliersforced downinGermany.Lynchingisuglyanywhere,andasapacifistIopposethekilingofanyone.Butwasitnotperfectly naturaland,intermsofthecommonlyacceptedmorality(I asumetheU.S.Armyisnotpacifistinphilosophy),entirely justifiedforGermancivilianstokilltheflierswhohadkiledso manyofthem?Whatshouldanairmanexpectwhohasbeen droppingblockbustersonhelplesscivilians,ifheisunlucky enoughtofallintothehandsofhisvictims?Hegave them nochancetosurender.Whyshouldtheyaccept his surender? Itwouldbeunfortunate,ofcourse,ifciviliansgottheidea thattheycouldwithimpunitystrikebackatthetechnicians whomassacrethemwithscientificdevicesfromtwomilesin theair. It isunderstandablewhytheArmywantsto"make someexamples."Butthejusticeisalonthesideofthehanged, notthehangmen. TheComedy Thecomedyofwageandpricecontrols IsEnded i s ended.TheAFLseamen,backedby theiremployers,mountedastrikewhich brokewagecontrolswideopenand,afewweekslater,resulted inthedisintegrationoftheWageStabilizationBoard.(Curi- ously,theBoardwastorpedoedbythewithdrawalof its employer members.Ihaveseennoexplanationofwhythe labormembersstoodbytheBoardwhiletheemployersdesertedit.Theepisodesemstoshowboththeincompetenceof laborleadershipandthehostilityofU.S.business,regardless ofitsimmediateeconomicinterests,towardsStatecapitalism.) AndnowOPAhasbeenshatteredbyanotherstrike,ofthe meatindustry.Asinthecaseofthemaritimestrike,Truman hadtwosensiblealternatives:eithertogiveinatonce,orelse tobreakthestrike,whichinthiscasewouldhavemeantusing hiswartimepowerswhichare,significantly,stil inforce, *Theconceptof"aggressivewarfare"cannotwithstandserioushistorical analysis—atleastnotinthe20thcentury,inwhichthepreparingand wagingofwarhasbecomethechiefbusinessofallfirst-classpowers. I recaltheshockofenlightenmentwhenI firstreadSidneyFay'sgreattwovolumework, TheOriginsoftheWorld War.Usingthethen-available secretarchivesofallthewarringgovernments—manyofthemmadepublic bytheBolsheviks—Fayshowedwithtediousandfascinatingscholarship thatresponsibilityfortheoutbreikOfhostilitiesin1914layequalybetweenfourpowers,two"bad"ones(AustriaandGermany),andtwo "good"ones(FranceandRussia).Butthosewereinnocentdays,when evenProgressiveeditorsreasonedandweighedevidenceinarrivingat a judgmentonsuchmatters.ProfessorFayoftrarvardisnowdead;his bookcertainlyis;'thereisanintolerablyolefishionedfliiortothe-detach- mentwithwhichheviewedhistory;amiColonel-GeneralZhdane-orcesuldtell us,or,forthatmatter,AssociateJusticeJackson,oftheU.-S.Suprenie Court.
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