Speech #760159884

Now. regarding the question of a possible delay if this bill goes to conference. I dare say the Finnish people would be glad to wait a week if they could have $20.000.000 for unrestricted purchases rather than $20.000.000 immediately with restrictions for civil commodities only attached to it. This morning the Foreign Affairs Committee was considering a bill for the relief of Polish refugees. While I cannot speak for the whole committee. I feel that there is a great deal of sympathy for donating money for relief purposes to the Polish refugees. Must we wait until the libertyloving. peaceloving people of this world become refugees and are thrown on the bosom of the world for charity before we are willing to lend money? Is it not more sensible to loan money in advance so that these free nations will not be destroyed. rather than wait until they have been crushed and then give their people charity? I. for one. would rather give them the means by which they can defend themselves now. If we do not help Finland now. we will be called upon in the weeks to come to vote funds for the relief of Finnish refugees. By then free Finns will have been decimated and the scalp of another democracy will hang on a dictators belt. Mr.