# Longines Chronoscope/27-01-1954

Narrator It's time for the Longines Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour, brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a presentation of the Longines Wittnauer Watch Company, maker of Longines, the world's most honored watch, and Wittnauer, distinguished companion to the world honored Longines.
Frank Knight Good evening, this is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Longines Chronoscope: Larry Lesueur, from the CBS television news staff, and Kenneth Crawford, national affairs editor for Newsweek magazine. Our distinguished guest for this evening is the Honorable Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr., US Representative from New Jersey.
Larry Lesueur Congressman Freylinghausen, you represent the fifth district of New Jersey. Now, New Jersey went to the Republicans in 1952, and then it swung to the Democrats last year. Now, do you think this is a continuing trend?
Representative Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr. Mr. Lesueur, I certainly do not, it sounds like a leading question. As a Republican, I feel very sure that it is not. I assume you're talking about whether or not we may have trouble in the congressional runnings of 1954. I do not think so, I think those elections are going to be decided primarily on national issues instead of state issues, which were at issue in the gubernatorial campaign.
Lesueur Well, I understand that your Morristown district represents a pretty good mixture of urban population and farm population. Now, what about the farm vote in New Jersey in relation to the falling prices. You take that?
Frelinghuysen Well, of course, maybe I should explain a little bit more about the fifth district. In the first place it is, has been, and is, and I'm sure will continue to be, strongly Republican. It's a very good district, it has a lot of variety. There are a good many farmers, there are a great many commuters, residents, and there is a growing industrialization of the area. So it's a good cross-section of America. I'm very glad to represent as articulate and intelligent a constituency as I have. I don't think that my district or the state as such will be overly concerned about the farm problem. None of us are happy if farm prices fall, and my constituents are certainly no exception. But, generally speaking, as far as I can find public opinion in the district, the residents of New Jersey are interested in a flexible price support program, if we can work that out.
Kenneth Crawford Mr. Frelinghuysen, could you tell whether the falling farm prices had much to do with the outcome of that gubernatorial election? You think it was primarily local issues, but wasn't that also a factor?
Frelinghuysen Well, there are so many things that could have had an effect on that campaign, but I don't think it was a major factor, I should certainly say it was a relatively minor one.
Lesueur Well, the President has in his program cut defense spending, he's encouraged an increase in unemployment insurance, and he's encouraged to rent housing. But what allows (illegible text) should be a recession of long duration, Congressman Frelinghuysen?
Frelinghuysen Well, in the first place, Mr. Lesueur, I don't think the President's program, as it's outlined so far, we still haven't heard all the specific recommendations that he's scheduled to make, depends on--it does depend, rather, on a fairly stable economy. And I don't think there's any major allowance for a real recession. There's been a lot of talk in certain quarters that we're likely to have a recession, and perhaps we should prepare for it. But I think, by and large, the administration is acknowledging there is a readjustment as a result of the build-up of the Korean War, and a settling back after the cessation of hostilities.
Crawford Mr. Frelinghuysen, do you feel that the cut of five billion dollars in defense spending, and it is primarily in defense spending, is dangerous to the economy, number one, and number two, do you feel that it cuts defense too much?
Frelinghuysen That was the big question, too, Mr. Crawford. No, I do not. To begin a direct answer to your question, there has been a shift of emphasis in the way we're going to spend the defense dollar. It still takes a larger part of the total dollar spent by the national government, some 68% is being spent for defense or military purposes of some kind or another. I think the shift is all to the good. It concentrates to a greater degree than we've had up to now on air power and on the new weapons of warfare. I've had the opportunity within the last 48 hours of hearing Secretary of Defense Wilson and the Secretary of the Treasury Humphrey discuss the overall tax situation and the defense situation. I am sure as a result of those talks and what I've read in the President's message, that we are definitely in no way jeopardizing our national security. That still is primary.
Lesueur Well, Congressman Frelinghuysen, then, we'll acknowledge that this may be a good time to take a calculated risk on defense, but the Secretary of State's latest speech on foreign policy lays emphasis on air defense rather than on local ground defense, and he implies with that that the next false move will mean that we'll use atomic weapons on the communists. Now, don't you think that's rather gambling on a third world war and an atomic war?
Frelinghuysen I don't think it's gambling on a war, I think it's very a forthright effort to prevent the outbreak of any such war. What we are saying, I think, in effect, to the world, to any potential aggressor, is that we are ready and able, prepared to go ahead and use whatever weapons at whatever place would seem most advisable. In other words, there will be immediate retaliation, as he pointed out, if there should be aggression.
Crawford Mr. Frelinghuysen, what does that mean in connection with a place like Indochina? What if the Chinese came into Indochina and made it much more a fight than it is now? How would this policy apply then?
Frelinghuysen Well, it's difficult to know. It does mean we don't necessarily commit ourselves to ground troops in Indochina, as we did in Korea. Until a specific situation breaks out, it's hard to know how it would be. I do think it should be emphasized that we are not relying alone, as I understand Secretary Dulles' position, on air power as such. We are still emphasizing the strong mobile forces, naval, air and army, and, of course, the Marines.
Lesueur Well, Congressman Freylinghausen, now that we're on the subject of communism, right or wrong, a lot of people in this country think that the recent congressional investigations of communism have been rather disturbing. And I understand that you have introduced a new bill regarding those investigations. Care to tell us anything about that?
Frelinghuysen Yes, I'd be glad to, Mr. Lesueur. At the beginning of this session of Congress I introduced a bill which would provide for a joint single congressional committee on internal security. It came to me that it would be a good solution to some of the problems that we've had in recent months publicity-wise in this field. It also is an attempt on my part to help take communism in government out at an issue in the 1954 campaigns. You'll remember that the President said he hoped that the Executive branch would have disclosed the facts about what the menace is in such a thorough way that he hoped it would no longer be a major issue. And it's my feeling that if the Legislative branch, which has a definitely subsidiary role of investigating what the threat of communists is, that if we do it in an objective and effective way, that it can be minimized as a political issue in the '54 campaign.
Lesueur Do I understand, Congressman, that your bill would create one committee, a joint congressional committee, that would end the rivalry between the House Committee on An-American Affairs Committee and the Senate Internal Security Committee? Is that the idea? What would it accomplish?
Frelinghuysen It not only would end the rivalry, it would eliminate those committees entirely, and they would be replaced by a single joint committee, like the Atomic Energy Committee, which has worked well, composed by an equal number of House members and Senators. And the purpose would be to avoid the competition for witnesses and the competition for publicity which has taken place under the existing set up. There has been, in other words, a lack of definition of the jurisdiction of the respective committees and it seems to me this is one field where we do not need two committees. They are not legislative in character, they're really primarily an attempt to reassure the public--
Lesueur It's very interesting--
Frelinghuysen that there is a threat but that it's under control and they know what it is.
Crawford In that connection, Mr. Frelinghuysen, what do you think has been the net effect of the Monmouth laboratories investigation in your state. Do you think it has been over-all good or over-all bad?
Frelinghuysen Well, Mr. Crawford, that, too, is not an easy question to answer. The investigation at Monmouth is not finished. As I understand, it it is a continuing affair. As I understand it, also, the army is going to make disclosures about just what the problem has been and whether there is a present problem. I have a feeling that it has a very definite harmful effect on morale at Monmouth. On the other hand, if there is evidence of current security problems, I think we certainly should get at the root of it.
Lesueur Congressman, I understand you have conducted a questionnaire among your representatives--your constituents of this very representative district. Now, could you say from this questionnaire what you think the voters are actually going to be interested in in November?
Frelinghuysen Well, I think that primarily they're interested in the major issues which we are going to face at this session of Congress. In other words, they're interested in whether or not we are reasonably secure from aggression, they're interested in whether or not we are going to be able to reduce taxes and how much, they're interested in whether or not we're going to have a reasonable labor law, they're interested in the broad problem of the position of this country in the world and what kind of foreign trade we should have. I think very definitely that the issue in November is the extent to which we Republicans have been able to present a program, as outlined by the President in his series of messages, to the public.
Lesueur Thank you very much, Congressman Frelinghuysen. A great pleasure having you here tonight.
Knight The opinions that you've heard our speakers express tonight have been entirely their own. The editorial board for this edition of the Longines Chronoscope was Larry Lesueur and Kenneth Crawford. Our distinguished guest was the Honorable Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr., US Representative from New Jersey.
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