The_Open_Door_deel1

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however, were all surpassed by the appropriations for the
nation's security forces of which the allocations for the War
Department proper constituted only a very small portion. In
April 1950, the Legislature had approved the employment of Public
Relations Officers ... • ,
"so as to prevent the making of Liberian terri.ton.es i.nt.0
fertile soil for the infiltration and germination of dangerous
propaganda and subversive activity" (33).
Though originally the intention may have been to shield Liberia
from undesirable influences from abroad, the services of these
Public Relations Officers were soon used to build up and
strengthen an internal security system. The main aims were the
protection of the Head of State from subversive activities as
well as the suppression of popular feelings which implied
criticism of the President, his protegees, or the official
policy. This system thus significantly contributed to the
continuation of the domination of the Americo-Liberians. Notably
after the 1955 attempt to assassinate President Tubman
allocations for his P.R.O.'s were substantial (See note J of
Annex 21 ). In 1956 the budget of the Department of Agriculture
and Commerce was less than the total amount appropriated for an
unspecified but large number of P.R.O.'s. Also in 1956, the
allocations for Inauguration Expenses still exceeded the ordinary
budget of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
By 1961, however, the largest single expenditure item had become
the servicing of the nation's debt. When on January 3, 1944,
Tubman was inaugurated for the first time, the Public Debt had
amounted to $ 1,259,699.15 but as of December 22, 1949 this had
been reduced to % 589,050.93. Never before, during this century,
had the Government's debt been so low. It may be important to
note here that the decrease in the nation's debt did not result
from the increase of revenues under the Open Door Policy - which
growth only started as from 1951. It rather resulted from a
modest expenditure pattern, no doubt influenced by the control
which the Finance Corporation of America then exercised over
Liberia's public finances. The fact that Liberia was not allowed
to contract any debt without the approval of Firestone's Finance
Corporation should be born in mind. The windfall for Government
revenues as a result of the taxing of Firestone's profits in a
year when rubber prices were extremely high had enabled Tubman
to terminate this dependency in December 1952. The economic and
fiscal growth during the 1950 's - which were caused by the Open
Door Policy - had made the Government over-optimistic in its
attempt to compensate for nearly a century of carelessness and
the impotence of previous governments. The awareness that
infrastructure (in its broadest sense) was virtually lacking in
the country even led to a kind of self-chastisement when
Liberia's ambassador to the U.K., C.T.O. King, made the
historic public statement that Liberia had never had the
advantage of colonial rule (34). Certainly, this was a true
statement, though it is often interpreted as meaning that Liberia
was never colonized.