Evening star., 1946-02-08
Proposal 10 Extend
White House Killed
By Senate Committee
Continued From First Page.)

That there has been a considerable
amount OF misunderstanding as to
tne construction contemplated by
tne appropriation which was granted
last December. This eliminated in
the action by the House of Repre-
sentatlves in providing that the
salaries and expenses of the Presi-
oent's office staff should be paid
from the unexpended balance of the
construction appropriation, and that
the remainder of that fund should
be returned to the Treasury.
Ihe purpose had in mind in re-
questlng this appropriation last De-
cember was to provide additional
ONCE space to alleviate the excess
lVely crowded conditions that now
prevan in the executive Offices. toI
renoVate the antiquated heating
system in the White House and to
finish the interior of the east wing
which was only partially completed
In 1912. am as sensitive as any
one to the necessity for preserving
the general architectural scheme of
the White House, and the plans |
which I have specifically approved
maintain its historic appearance.
am sure that If your commit
tee will carefully consider the facts
you will agree that this proposal
should go forward"
truman Has No Comment,
Inere was no comment from the
President this afternoon after the
Appropriations Committee action
became known. Acting Press Secre-
tary Eben Ayres told reporters he
had heard no discussion of this
latest development at the White
House.
Today's development was the cli-
max in the White House dispute
which had its inception after Con-
gress last December made a de-
flclency appropriation of 81 $50 900
Tor expansion of the west wing and
other improvements. Announcement
OF detailed plans touched off pro-
tests by civic and professional
groups against making the White
House into an Office building"
The House then struck out the
entire fund for the project by writ
ing into the independent Offices bill
a requirement that part of the fund
be used to pay normal White House
payroll costs and the remainder be
returned to the Treasury.
Part Ordered Returned,
The Senate committee handled it
this way. 1t would require $4,000
of the $1,650,000 project fund to be
returned to the Treasury, leaving
the remainder, $780,000 available for
the noncontroversiali improvements.
In addition, it provides 1888 $50 to
pay the normal maintenance ex-
penSeS of the White House in the
next fiscal year, not chargeable to
the construction fund. ]
The fund allowed will provide for
the construction of an underground J
storeroom, rehabilitation of the
hetlng system, construction of '
service tunnel on the north side,
ref1ooring of the second floor and =,
replacement of Shabby" furnish !
lngs and furniture, construction of a 1.
fileroom, new elevator, machinery !
and other Improvements. This is
in addition to completion of the in
terror of the east wing.
The committee went extensively
into the matter and took testimony
from Maj. Gen. Philip B. Fleming
Federal Works administrator, as
well as Lorenzo S. Winslow, archi-
tect of the White House.
Calls Needs Urgent.
Senator Green, Democrat. of
Rhode Island persistently asked Mr.. II
Winslow about details of the plan h
and why it would not be feasible
to remodel the State Department
Building to provide space there for
the Presidents staff. !
Mr.. Winslow replied this could be
done, but that the whole project Of {
revamping the State Building would |
require two or three years and that I
the needs of the Presidents staff {
were urgent Gen Fleming added
he had discussed with the President
the possibility of tunneling under
West Executive avenue to the State
Building, but that the President had
said he would like to have his key
people as close to him as possible.
AS to furnishings in the green
room, Mr.. Winslow told the COM
mittee:
"The walls are covered with a
damaSk, silk, and it is frayine.
Replacement for that is included,
Some OF the furniture that was put
in there by Theodore Roosevelt is
falling apart. There are other items.
for example, some of the picture
frames need to be replaced, and
so on.
Don't Understand Plan.
When Senator Green asked Mr.
Winslow how he accounted for the
fact that "all of the architectural
societies have demonstrated" against
the proposed addition, Mr.. Winslow
replied, They do not understand
it."
The architect emphasized that
the project was mot an addition to
the White House" but rather, as he
said he had plainly stated, IAN ad-
dition to the executive Offices"
Inserted in the record, among
other communications, were pres1
release on the project, letters from
American Planning and Civic AS
sociation, statements from Gilmore
D. Clark, chairman of the Fine Arts
Commission, and excerpts from pro-
tests made by other groups.
Britain, Mexico Aoree