December 24, 2006
HARDLY REPAYS THEIR DEBT:
Britain pays 1945 war debt (David Smith, 12/24/06, The Sunday Times of London)
THE government will this week close a chapter in Britain’s wartime history by completing the repayment of a loan taken out with America more than 60 years ago, just after the second world war.Posted by Orrin Judd at December 24, 2006 9:45 AMTreasury officials said the repayment of the US war loan taken out under a 1945 agreement would be completed by December 31. [...]
Britain borrowed money from America during the first world war but never fully settled the debt.
I never did quite understand why the US could give so much to Germany under the Marshall plan while Britain impoverished itself fighting fascist Germany and got nothing. OK, I don't know enough about it, but something seems a little out of kilter with the aftermath of the war. As in why didn't Germany when it became so prosperous with US aid, pay some of it back? And now they're Anti-American to boot!
As Maggie said when she got kicked out, 'It's a funny old world'.
The Brits got the lion's share of the Marshall money.
Posted by: oj at December 24, 2006 9:36 PMWith the Brits' contributions to the fights in Iraq and Afghanistan, I'd mark their debt more than paid in full.
Posted by: John J. Coupal at December 25, 2006 9:37 AMWhat contribution? They took the easiest jobs.
Posted by: oj at December 25, 2006 11:54 AM