The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-30

tor Theodore BI1po, of all people. Bilbo isn't member of the Foreign Relations Committee, but he is a member of the Commerce Commit tee which also has fist in this stew. Bilbo's action in making pulp lie letter from Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew, defending the State Departments right to take the United States into international aviation agreements through execu- tive order, without Senate ratifica- tion, may again bring to boil this dish which has been simmering on the back of the stove for so long 8 time.
 AIR FREEDOM
 PROGRAM PROGRESSES
 While the Senate has been unable to make up its mind and determine a policy, the State Departments freedom of the air" program, map ped at the Chicago International Civil Aviation Conference last fall, has been moving right ahead. Thirty nations-four more than the neces- sary 26 - have already ratified the Chicago agreements and Canada is preparing to issue invitations for a first meeting of the provisional or ganization which will regulate in- ternational air commerce until permanent organization can take over within the next three years.
 In the meantime, the U. s. Civil AeronauticS Board, meeting with President Truman, is supposed to have laid on his desk a recommen- dation that North Atlantic flying rights be given to three competing companies - Pan American, Trans continental Western, and American Export or its American Airlines- controlled successor.
 The President may turn down the CAB recommendations but since they are believed to have been made with strong representations as to urgency, approval by the White House would confront the SUD- porters of the jointly owned com- pany idea - principally Pan Amer ican and United Airlines = with opposition as good as established. The only way to stop such develop ment would be through prompt &C., ton in Congress, the passage of new laws defining a different policy. With Congress now ready to go home for the summer, any such achievement would be difficult, to say the least.
 Background maneuvering which brought out the letter from Secre- tary Grew to Senator Bilbo is in- teresting. About a month ago the Executive Council of the American Federation of Labor, stirred up by advocates of the one big airline pol icy, issued a statement that the ex- ecutlve agreements on international aviation promulgated by President Roosevelt were illegal, should be withdrawn and submitted to the Senate for ratification.
 Using this as springboard, Sen ator Bilbo was moved to take the A. F. of L. statement, send it to the State Department and ask in effect. Whats thls all about?"
 STATE DEPARTMENTS
 BIG CHANCE
 This was just the opportunity the State Department had been waiting for. Its side of the argument was locked up in off-the-record testi- mony before the Senate Foreign Re- lations Committee, but the opposi- tion was spreading disapproval of State Department policy wherever possible.
 Crews reply to the Bilbo inquiry is therefore 8 strong defense of State Departments right to make the executive agreements adopted at Chicago on interim organization and freedom of the air policies.
 It is being backed up by a more legal argument prepared by Stephen Latchford of the State Depart ment's aviation staff and printed in the current State Department bull letin. Together the Grew and Latchford document serve as a re- buttal to Arne c. Wiprud, Depart ment of Jutice transportation law yer, who has bean arguing unofi- cially that international aviation rights could not be granted by ex- ecuytive agreements under U. S. aviation law.