Report

American Lend-Lease is neither lent nor leased but will be written off as a U.S. contribution to the war. Last week for the first time that fact, long realized by many U.S. citizens, was made explicit to all by President Roosevelt, when he sent to Congress the eleventh quarterly report on Lend-Lease.

Promptly the New York Times called for a change of name: "The designation 'Lend-Lease' misleads both foreign nations, who may think us less generous than we are, and many of our own people, who may be led by the term to expect repayment as they expected it during the last war." The Times suggested the Canadian name, "Mutual Aid Plan."

Salient points emerging from the report:

> Lend-Lease costs 12% of the total war expenditure. Since it began 29 months ago, Lend-Lease has run up a bill of almost $14 billion, or nearly $4 billion more than the U.S. lent to allies during and after World War I.

> Britain has received about 45% of the total; Russia 25%; China, India, Australia and New Zealand 13%. (The figures for China have never been reported separately, a subject of much Congressional criticism.)

> Shipments to Russia dropped from $233 million in April 1943, to $178 million in May, $139 million in June. Reasons: during the late spring, shipping had to be diverted from the Russian run to the support of the North African and Sicilian campaigns. Moreover the drop would not appear so severe if tonnage figures rather than dollar values were used. With the Ukraine breadbasket in Nazi hands for the third successive summer, the Russians desperately need food. More & more the cargo space allotted to the Russians has been filled with food rather than munitions. Food costing only a few hundred dollars takes as much space as a tank costing $50,000.

> In 1942 Lend-Lease shipments of food amounted to 6% of the total U.S. output; in 1943, the figure will probably be 10% (with 13% for the U.S. armed forces, 75% for civilians, the rest for U.S. territories, etc.). Though North Africa and other territories liberated in the future will probably become self-sufficient and even export food (TIME, Aug. 16), the demands upon the U.S. supply are not likely to diminish for the duration and for a period after the war.

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