Evening star., 1947-12-21
Marshall Plan
Will bePassed,
White Predicts
Vondenberg Prepares
To Stort Hearings on
Program January 7
By J. A. O'Leory

A prediction that Congress will
approve the Marshall plan Gin
substantial measure" came yes
terday from Senate Majority
Leader White.
Senator White made this optimis-
tic forecast as Chairman Vanden-
berg of the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee prepared to start
hearings January 7 on President
Truman's recommendation for the
long-range plan to put Europe on
its feet in four years.
AS outlined in the Truman mes
sage Friday, the plan calls for
Sc, 100000 of American help dur
ing the Is months beginning April
l. For the remaining three years
the total cost is estimated at s10,-
20O,OOO,O0O.
One of the main battles on Capt.
tol Hill is expected to center around
the question of whether the entire
$1,000, 100000 should be authorized
at the start, as proposed by the
President, with the appropriations
considered on an annual basis.
Limitation May Be Urged.
1t will be argued by some law
makers that this Congress should
not commit the next one. Holders
OF this view undoubtedly will want
to limit the authorization to the
amount to be spent during the last
three months of this fiscal year,
and the IL months beginning July /.
There also were early indications
yesterday that the fight will be a
long one, and that the Foreign Re-
lations Committees of the House
and Senate will not be the only
committees that will delve into the
issue.
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
indicated he thinks it will be March
l before the Marshall plan is out of
committee and ready for floor de-
bate.
The Ohio Republican, chairman of
the Joint Economic Committee, also
said he supposed that committee
would be bound to consider the eco
nomic effects of foreign policy
whenever it meets on general price
problems. While that is not a stand
ing committee of the type that re-
ports legislation, it can submit
general recommendations to botl,
Houses.
Some Reluctance Anticipated.
The appropriations committees
of both Houses also are bounds to
have their say on the long-range
plan, as they did last week when
they scaled down both the interim
aid fund for France, Italy and
Austria, and the Armys budget for
occupied zones of Germany, Japan
and Korea.
Senator Whites hopeful comment
on the long-range program was:
Congress must give serious con-
sideration to it and will approve in
substantial measure the Presidents
recommendations. Many of our
members will do SO with reluctance. :"
Senator Vandenberg withheld any
comment on the long-range plan,
beyond the terse promise that the
hearings will be very thorough"
Kilgore Praises Message.
1t will be his job to handle the
enabling act when it reaches the
floor, and there were some indica-
tions he may refrain from express
ing his own views until the testi-
mony is in before his committee. He
has been an outstanding Republican
champion of bipartisan foreign
policy, however, in seeking to solve
postwar problems.
Senator Kilgore. Democrat OF
West Virginia called the Presidents
message excellent" and said he
thought Congress should put
through an authorization for the
whole program, so the State De-
partment may proceed with neces-
sary agreements, even though ap-
preparations are made on an annual
basis.
Il think it is a defense measure
as much as anything else," Senator
Kilgore added.
Congressional leaders have not
JCa-