February 4, 1973
America took in the end of the Vietnam War with a sense of great relief. Millions of people felt the need to go to their churches and say a prayer of thankfulness. The longest war in American history has come to an end.
The Release of Prisoners of War
The following distressing events are occurring these days. Families of American prisoners of war, who had first received word that their sons, fathers, husbands will be coming home, had shortly to learn thereafter that the names of their missing loved ones were not on the list the North Vietnamese turned over. The tragedies happening here remind one of returning prisoners at the end of World War II.
South Bend, February 12, 1973
Prisoners of War Are Coming Home
The release and homecoming of the American prisoners of war from North Vietnam and from the jungle camps of the Vietcong led to shocking and heart-wrenching scenes. In many instances, families have been waiting five to seven years for this day, while it has always remained uncertain whether the missing family member would ever come home at all. It was touching to see how the first prisoner of war stepped off the Red Cross plane on Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, and how with a trembling but resolute voice he said into the microphone: “God Bless America!”
On the other hand, the release of the North and South Vietnamese prisoners of war showed images of hardly imaginable misery. It was a procession of human figures on crutches wrapped in rags. The atrocious brutality of this war has thereby once more become apparent.
South Bend, February 12, 1973
The Dollar Devaluation
President Nixon decided to devalue the American dollar by 10% in order to counteract last week’s pressure caused by speculation. In America the devaluation is taken in strides as it barely affects the domestic market. A dollar devaluation stirs up more alarm in Europe and in Japan than here. But the nearly two million Americans living abroad are less pleased about it. By this devaluation, wage and price levels among the leading industrialized nations are being closer correlated to each other. The international monetary crises that flare up from time to time can only be remedied if the disparity in prices and wages between the United States and the Common Market on the one hand, and Japan on the other, are adjusted. The Nixon Administration seems to be determined to put its own house in order by striving to balance the payment deficit.
South Bend, February 25, 1973
The Downside of Affluence
Although multinational companies in America represent the economic power and affluence of the country, it is often overlooked by what sacrifices this affluence is being achieved. The managers and mid-level employees of these companies are ceaselessly moved around like pawns in a global field of operation. The families involved never really unpack their suitcases completely. One will not be able to fully imagine what this means for the wives who wish to settle down in a permanent home, or for the children who have to change schools continuously. The strained nerves frequently lead to a marriage crisis and divorce. This global movement also concerns the foreign service, the military, and to some extent also the universities. On average, Americans change their addresses every three years. As a result, America has developed one of the most active real estate businesses in the world. One buys a house here like somewhere else a car as a consumer good. But what has so far been an internal migration within the country is now spreading over five continents.