The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-04-16

away Amerlca'S s future in the air, or to embarrass the President and the State De- partment by requiring them to res- cind three executive agreements on international civil aviation already declared in effect and binding on this government.
 These executive agreements would commit the United States to a freedom of the air" policy in in- ternational commercial aviati n after the war. What irks a number of the Senators is that they have not approved this action as govern ment policy in treaty form, and they think the President doesn't have the legal power to put it into effect by executive agreement.
 THERE WAS A JUMPING
 OF THE GUN
 Twice the Senate formally asked the White House to delay action till the Senate could determine policy. But through fumbles and misunderstanding, Assistant Secre- tary of State Dean Acheson, in charge of congressional relations, thought he got approval to go ahead with the executive agree ments from Senator Tom Connally of Texas, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Josiah W. Bailey of North Carolina, chairman of the Commerce Com- mittee and delegate to the Chi cago conference. The trouble stems from that.
 Senator Connally has frankly ad- mitted to his committee, T prob ably go the committee into a jack pot. I am probably to blame for this situation"
 Senator Bailey has likewise con- fessed that in conversation with Secretary Acheson on the subject of the executive agreements, T talked agreeably about it and I did agree, I am willing to admit"
 Connally thought Bailey had ap- proved the executive agreements and Bailey thought Connally and the Foreign Relations Committee had approved them and in this mis- understanding they both apparently in effect told Acheson to go ahead. Actually neither committee ap- proved and the tickliSh situation they are now confronted with is how to cover up their own tracks and still save the Presidents and the State Departments faces by not making them suck back the execu- tive agreements.
 A BACKTRACKING
 RESOLUTION OFFERED
 In this predicament, Sen. Wallace White of Maine has offered a res- olution asking the Foreign Rela- tions Committee to delay action on the permanent civil aviation con- vention which would set up post war international organization to regulate air commerce. Effect of the White resolution, if passed, would be to ask the State Department to rescind U. s. adherence to the ex- ecutive agreements which define the five freedoms of the air and set up interim control over international flying until the permonent organ ization can be established.
 Assistant Secretary Acheson has expressed himself as exceedingly unwilling to withdraw U. s. approv- al of the executive agreements, since it would put this government in bad light.
 But the Senators themselves are in such a bad position that they cannot force a showdown, and in this mutual embarrassment to vote has been taken on the White res- olution. Instead, Majority Leader Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky has been asked to take the matter back to the White House and see what can be done next.
 No word has come from the White House. so the postwar aviation is- sue is suspended in mid-air while the master-minds try to figure out some place for it to land.
 Background on all this confusion will be given in this space in the next issue.