Evening star., 1947-11-09
Hartman Committee
Urges New Agency 10
Garry Out Foreign Aid

"A
Federal Government, the head OF
which would be named by the Presi-
dent and confirmed by the Senate
should carry out the foreign aid
program, the Hartman Committee
recommended last night. The agency
probably should be a government
corporation, the committee said.
The agency would have board
of directors representing the Gov
ernment departments concerned with
the program, including the Secre-
tary of State, but the board would
be limited to decisions on board
policy questions and should not take
part in actual operations or operat-
ing decisions of the new agency.
Closest possible relations should
be maintained between the new
agency and Congress, the committee
said. 1t suggested this might be
done by a special joint committee
such as was set up when the Atomi',
Energy Commission was established
Other Recommendations.
The committee also recommended
l. The head of the agency should
have power only to establish and
adjust general policies within the
FRAMEWORK of congressional action >
2. The agency must have a chief
representative in Europe, reporting
directly to the head of that organ1-
zation as well as representatives in
the 16 nations affected. They must
be under the direct control OF the
agency's head but should keep the
ambassadors in the respective coun-
tries informed of their communlca-
tionS"
3. The overall decisions on general
policy and limits of aid should be
made by Congress but the 'innum-
cradle operating decisions" cannot
be reached in advance and should
be left to the agency.
Must Be Nonpartisan.
4. The agency must act in a nom
partisan manner and its relations
with Congress through joint COM
mittee or Capitol Hill would give
the entire country greater conf
dence in the manner of the plans
execution"
S. The Board of Directors might
also include public as we'll as Gov
ernment members. There also
should be an advisory group Of rep
resentatives of the public, business,
agriculture and labor.
6. The agency should be able to
hire and fire without regard to
normal civil service rules. Its pres
tige should be such as to make the
top job attractive to the most
capable men in the United States.
Close Cooperation With Nations.
7. The agency can be successful
"only" if it carries out its functions
with full recognition of the fact
that the Secretary of State, subject
to the direction of the President,
has the responsibility for deter
mining the foreign policy OF the
United States"
8. There must be close co-opera-
ton with the 16 European nations.
8. Any new ALLEGATION or priori-
ties powers, however, should be
given to the Commerce Department
which already exercises export con-
trolls rather than to the new agency
10. The agency head should be
made a member of the National
Advisory Council and of the Export
Import Banks Advisory Board.
Previously Suggested by Herter.
This new agency is similar in part
to that suggested by the Herter
Committee on Foreign Aid which
last week made public some of It's
recommendations. That committee
of House members suggested a Gov
ernment corporation with a board of
directors named by the President
and confirmed by the Senate.
The State Department. however,
is understood to oppose giving such
sweeping powers to new agency.
Secretary Marshall may reveal the
administrations plan to handle the
aid program when he testifles at
the Capitol tomorrow.
During the Hartman Committee
deliberations a State Department
delegation presented its view on
handling the program but the de-
tails never were made public.