Lightly populated Australia offered more than twice America’s assistance, Japan promised almost 50% more, and Europe pledged more than five times as much. This led many observers to reflect on the fact that the world’s richest country was in general the most miserly in foreign assistance – all the more so in comparison to the amount it spends on war and defense.
但如果与很多物质财富远不及美国的国家比起来，美国的援助显得十分吝啬。人口稀少的澳大利亚捐助额是美国的两倍，日本比美国高出50%，而欧洲承诺的金额也达到了美国的5倍。这使很多观察家认为世界最富有的国家在对外援助方面一般也最吝啬啬比起花在战争和国防上面的经费就更是如此。