somebody called.

Homer Crawford grinned. "Bear with me a while," he said. "We can debate
till the Niger freezes over--later on."

He went on. "For instance, the United States would _aid_ Country X with
a billion dollars at, say four per cent interest, stipulating that the
money be spent in America. This is aid? It certainly is for American
business. But then our friends the Russians come along and loan the same
country a billion rubles at a very low interest rate and with supposedly
no strings attached, to build, say, a railroad. Very fine indeed, but
first of all the railroad, built Russian style and with Russian
equipment, soon needs replacements, new locomotives, more rolling stock.
Where must it come from? Russia, of course. Besides that, in order to
build and run the railroad it became necessary to send Russian
technicians to Country X and also to send students from Country X to
Moscow to study Russian technology so that they could operate the
railroad." Crawford's voice went wry. "Few countries, other than commie
ones, much desire to have their students study in Moscow."

* * * * *

There was a slight stirring in his audience and Homer Crawford grinned
slightly. "You'll pardon me if in this little summation, I step on a few
ideological toes--of both East and West.

"Needless to say, under these conditions of _aid_ in short order the
economies of various countries fell under the domination of the two
great collossi. At the same time the other have nations including Great
Britain, France, Germany and the newly awakening China, began to realize
that unless they got into the _aid_ act that they would disappear as
competitors for the tremendous markets in the newly freed former
colonial lands. Also along in here it became obvious that philanthropy
with a mercenary basis doesn't always work out to the benefit of the
receiver and the world began to take measures to administer aid more
efficiently and through world bodies rather than national ones.

"But there was still another problem, particularly here in Africa. The
newly freed former colonies were wary of the nations that had formerly
owned them and often for good reasons, always remembering that
governments are not motivated by humanitarian reasons. England did not
free India because her heart bled for the Indian people, nor did France
finally free Algeria because the French conscience was stirred with
thoughts of Freedom, Equali