 It's time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope. A television journal of the important issues of the hour brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A presentation of the Lawn Jean Wittner Watch Company, maker of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. Good evening. This is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope? Mr. William Bradford Huey, author and analyst, and Mr. Eliot Hain of United Nations World. Our distinguished guest for this evening is the Honorable J. H. Van Royce, Ambassador to Washington from the Netherlands. Van Royce, you, of course, represent the Dutch nation, which has always been extremely friendly to the American people. Also, for centuries, it has been the most world-minded people in the world, your great traitors, and your attitudes toward what's happening in the state. Now, first of all, how do you think you'll regard the community that is made to oppose Russian expansionism, namely the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? Are you supported on it? Certainly, Mr. Huey. And I just think the NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a cornerstone of our foreign policy. And are you also in favor of creating a European army? We are. We are also strong at the end of the European army. We are doing all in our power to come to a ratification of the European defense system. That means that you are not afraid of the Germans being converted into soldiers. Who would welcome German military defense of the European country. Mr. Ambassador, the first European nation to sign this European military agreement has been Germany, hasn't it? And the first one to ratify that. Do you see any possibility of your country ratifying the agreement soon? I do indeed. I think that either immediately before or immediately after the summer recess of our parliament, the second chamber, the lower chamber of our parliament will ratify the treaty. Well, that would leave about four or five other countries to ratify, would you? If it would, do you see any possibility of their ratification, early ratification? Well, we in Holland are very hopeful of their ratification and until it does, it will come soon. Well, that's particularly interesting, I think, because your country shares a common boundary with Germany and our viewers will recall that your country perhaps suffered more from German invasion than any other western nation. And yet, are you saying that you welcome the economic revival of Germany and you even welcome the military revival? We are realists, Ljue, and I think that you welcome both the economic revival and the military participation of Germany in a concerted European effort. Mr. van Royen, of the last month and a half or more, the Russian government has been speaking peace, talking peace, and generally behaving peacefully. Do you think that military arrangements designed to combat possible communist aggression are as important now than they were, say, four months ago? They are certainly just as important, if not for psychological reasons, even more so. We in Holland feel that the worst possible thing we could do would be to let down our guard just at this moment. And we feel that on the one hand, military preparedness, on the other hand, unity among the nations of the free world is an absolute prerequisite. Do you believe that the risk of war is less today than it was six months ago, sir? I wouldn't say that. I think it's probably about the same. It looks on account of the new Russian tactics, although the danger was receding, but I should say there's about the same possibility of a Russian blunder or a Russian miscalculation and a Third World War as a consequence of such miscalculation. You're not afraid of a similar blunder in the part of the West. You don't think we would set off a Third World War by mistake? I think that possibility is much less, but I think it's human to make mistakes. We have to watch out for it, too. We have to watch out for it, but I think it's negligible. Moving on, sir, this subject of trade is something that our people are very much interested in, and since you are the world's great traders, we'd like to have your views on what you're doing about trade now. Now, the Dutch are, of course, dependent on world trade, are they not? We certainly are. We always have been, as you know, we're a trader and seafaring nation. And what is the state of your trade? Is it greater this year than it was last year? Has the volume been increasing? Our total trade is increasing, and our exports this year, for the first time, have equaled and slightly surpassed our imports. But not as far as this country is concerned. You still have a dollar gap, so far. We certainly have. In other words, the number and amount of products and articles which we import from this country are a great deal larger than those that we can export to your country and pay for them. What do you want to buy from Americans, sir? We want to buy machinery and we want to buy agricultural products. In other words, the necessities of life, necessities for our economic apparatus. And so, in order to do that, you need dollars, and the only way you can get those dollars is to sell us something. We haven't yet discovered another way except by age. And what do you want to sell us in order to earn those dollars so that you can buy our wheat in our machinery? We also have farm products, dairy products, of a different nature than those that we want to import from you. But as you know, lately there have been certain restrictions clamped on to our cheese exports this country. And that has not been encouraging for the buildup of a line of exports. Well, Mr. Van Royen, if we keep on prohibiting you from selling cheese to us and so forth, will you be forced to turn to the East Europe and Russia and the general communist area for the wheat and machinery that you need? Will you be forced to trade with the East? I wouldn't put it so strongly as that, Mr. Haynes, but I think that if the countries of Europe as a whole are prevented from trading with the United States, the temptation to trade with the countries behind the iron curtain in goods which are not strategic would become very great. Well, Mr. Van Royen, a number of Americans are beginning to think that that might not be so bad that perhaps instead of letting all these European goods in, let's let Europe trade with the East to some extent. Do you think that East-West trade is necessarily a bad thing? Putting it that way, no, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It depends which side benefits most. If it's the free world that is benefited by that, more than the countries behind the iron curtain, and if the free world therefore gets into a stronger position, it's all to the good. And you think it's possible that the free world might benefit more by such trade than communist countries would? Undoubtedly, depending on the kind of goods which we trade in. Of course, the very fact that you're a great trading nation, you are handicapped more by the iron curtain than any other nation would be, aren't you? The fact that the world is divided and that there is an iron curtain handicapped Holland, doesn't it? We certainly are unless we can find another outlet for our goods. What do you need to buy from behind the iron curtain? Among other things, such necessities as coal, wheat, lumber, things which we need for our national economy. Mr. Ambassador, do you think that in exchange for those, if you got them from those communist countries, you could sell them goods which would not help their military power, which would not aid their war efforts, you could give them things which wouldn't help them to fight a war? That is certainly what we've been doing all along, but naturally they are inclined to make higher demands on us all the time and inclined to demand that we ship goods which are strategic, which we have constantly refused. So if you could, you would rather trade with the United States and get the things you need and trade with communist countries? Far rather, without any doubt. Our people, of course, remember the disastrous floods that your country has suffered in the past few months. Now, how is the rate of recovery from those floods? The rate has been very encouraging up to the present. We have prepared about 80% of the dykes that were breached and we have drained and reclaimed almost the same proportion of the area that was enundated. And is that going to affect your commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in fact that you suffered this disaster? Unfortunately, we are not. Our government has firmly stated that we will honor our commitments to the nature of the police. And moreover, as you may know, we had just 10 days before the flood struck the South Western part of our country. We have announced economic aid from the United States. And our government has also given it a stand in Washington that we will not again ask for that economic aid during the 750 years. And Ryan is the standard of living of your country. You know, it is recovery from the floods, a decent one, where people won't turn to communism and fear and distrust of your country. Yes, the presence of our kind of living is quite satisfactory. Although, of course, there is a certain amount of unemployment, though not many people stay. One of the things that we are concerned with in Argentina now is what other people in the West think of us. Unfortunately, Americans were in Holland during the Second War and we have been friendly and we just wonder if there is a substantial feeling of anti-Americanism in Holland today. I don't know. I think you will find less anti-American feeling of sending to the Prince as America in the Netherlands than in other countries in Western Europe. We, as a people, know that you are our friends. We are grateful for what the United States has done. We are grateful for your participation in the liberation of our country from the Nazi oppression, for the martial aid which we received and for which we were able to get back to our people at France as when we had done our own effort. Well, thank you, sir, for being with us this evening. You're welcome, sir. The opinions that you've heard our speakers express tonight have been entirely their own. The editorial board for this edition of the Laun Jean Conestope was Mr. William Bradford Huey and Mr. Elliot Payne. Our distinguished guest was the Honorable J. H. Van Roy and Ambassador to Washington from the Netherlands. We're pleased that the Laun Jean Conestope is one of the television programs collected by Washington for re-broadcast for armed forces around the world. And wherever in the world the Laun Jean Conestope may go, it's virtually certain that Laun Jean watches are already there on the wrist of many members of our armed forces on the wrist of the citizens of these foreign countries and in the windows of their fine jewelry assemblies. Such is the name of Laun Jean, truly the world's most honored watch. For among the world's finest watches, only Laun Jean watches have won ten world fair grand prizes, twenty-eight gold medals and so many honors for accuracy from the great government of liberty. And Laun Jean watches are sold and serviced in the capitals and major cities of more than a hundred countries throughout the world. Now some day soon you may wish to purchase for yourself or as an important gift just about the finest watch made anywhere in the world. Then you will choose well to choose Laun Jean, the world's most honored watch. And unbelievably, you may buy and own or proudly give the Laun Jean watch for as little as seventy-one pesos. Laun Jean, the world's most honored watch, the world's most honored gift, premier product of the Laun Jean Wittner Watch Company, since 1866, maker of watches of the highest character. We invite you to join us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening at this same time for the Laun Jean Conestope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour, broadcast on behalf of Laun Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion watch for the world's honored Laun Jean. This is Frank Knight reminding you that Laun Jean and Wittner watches are sold and serviced from coast to coast by more than four thousand leading jurors who proudly display this emblem, agency for Laun Jean Wittner watches. Next Monday night, see the Ford 50th Anniversary Show on the CBS...