The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-15
Taft And Foreign Aid
By ARTHUR O

By AHOCA
WASHINGTON Thougl. the objections
bv Senator Taft to the European Recovery
Program of the State Department are ad-
dressed to its details, including cost, and not
directly to its substance, the item or 1lnanc.
ing is SO important tat the objections, II
sustained by Congress, could m; e the Pr
gram a wasteful and inefficient expenditure,
in the opinion of many expe- observers.
But, even &C eding -4e Teri # that be-
lief, it is worthy of note that the ~enator,
in common with all Presidential aspirants
in the two major parties, processes to sup
port the ERP in principle and has offered
no alternative.
Both the advocates Of the ERP and its
critics agree that lie United States should
provide direct relief and make a start on
long-range rehabilitation loans to Western
Europe and China. Governor Dewey MIR.
Stassen, Senators Taft and Vandenberg,
Speake. Martin - and perhaps General
Eisenhower should now be included in this
list-together with every Democrat who
hopes for a national part. nomination, are
on record in favor of this program. The dis
pute is over costs and conditional terms
only, and, Will the destructive potentials OF
these are ,merous, the absence Of an al
tentative pla puts the burden of proof
heavily on the critics Of the ERP.
When Mr.. Taft intends to assume his large
share of that burden is a date eagerly await
ed, for until he comes forward with his
propose limitation on costs there can be
no joining Of the issue on this fundamental
detail. General Marshall has estimated that
the sum of about $2,657 millions should be
added to the foreign aid budgc: OF $4,30l
millions for the fiscal year of 1947. g that
ends June 30 next. Senator Taft says he is
absolutely opposed" to this additional
amount, but that "at this time" he docs not
care" to announce what II any increase re
will propose and support.
While standing by for the Senator to make
that announcement, some speculation as to
what he will suggest, and some examination
of foreign aid appropriations in the last two
budgets, may give a clue to the amount that
will be at issue between Mr.. Taft and the
State Department.
The sum of 81, 301 millions for "interna-
tional expenditures" carried in the budget
for fiscal 1947-48, covers many items, in
ment on the British loan and relief in the
occupied areas and elsewhere. General Mar
shall would increase this to $6,958 millions,
and part of this increase would be used for
starting the long-range ERP and for added
relief in the occupied areas in the interim
between March 80 and June 80, the end of
the fiscal>year.
categories, and including the item of 81, 700
millions for the final payment on the British
loan, has said that their total cost in the
current fiscal year should be limited to 3d.
500 millions. If what he apparently meant
is what he really meant-and the words
used by the Senator at times make such
conclusions hazardous-then he would add
only $1e9 millions to the 1e47-4S foreign aid
budget of $4,301 millions. Since General
Marshall has asked for an increase OF $2,657
millions, the amount at issue between them
for the next eight months is $2.458 millions
or enough, in the opinion of the State De-
partment, to turn the whole European pro-
ject into "Operation Rathole."
But Mr.. Taft may not intend to include
the costs Of stop-gap relief in the limitation
of $4,000 millions; for instance, he seems
to be willing to add 1921 millions for that
purpose to the $345 millions which the
President has already scraped off "the bot.
tom of the barrel" in addition to what was
carried in the 1947-48 budget. This is in
Dictated by his statement that they (the
Administration previously informed the
leaders of Congress that $500 millions more
would be enough for stop-gap relief, and
he showed no opposition to that addition.
If he would add. this much. then the differ
ence between him and General Marshall
over the dollars to be spent for foreign aid
by June 80 is reduced by $255 millions. But
that would still leave the Secretary and
the Senator $2,203 millions apart, which is
fundamental. And Mr.. Taft also made it plain
that he has a much smaller sum in mind
to be spent in Europe and China in this
calendar than the Administration or any
executive group has considered.
If these calculations are c~onfusing-and
they are-the fault rests with Senator Taft.
1t cannot be removed until he makes a spec
ific proposal, with cost figures broken down
in broad categories and the financial gap
between him and the Administration meas
ured in dollars. General Marshall has been
specific in stating the sum he wants for the
remainder of this fiscal year, and he has
approached the specific in computing relief
and ERP costs in this calendar year. The
Senator has promised to match that pre-
c~iseness, but mot at this time" The time,
however, cannot be long deferred if he hopes
to influence his colleagues.
When the dollar issue is joined the figures
will be prodigious. But the taxpayer might
REMIND himself that, even if the full addition
proposed by General Marshall is voted, the
current budget total of $6.958 millions for
foreign aid will be only $289 millions more
than was carried in the previous budget, and
spent without overall plan or effective re-
sults.-New York Times.