Evening star., 1947-10-23
Truman Confers
With Cabineton
Aid 10 Europe
Sees Congress Chiefs;
Decision Expected
On Special Session
By Joseph A. Fox

fIeSluenC truman conferred
with his cabinet for two hours
and IS minutes this morning, re-
viewing ground to be covered in
the Presidents meeting this aft
ernoon with congressional lead
ers = to discuss the European
economic crisis.
AS the meeting broke up. Secre-
tary OF Commerce Hartman told
reporters, The President will have
something" to say later.
Presumably he referred to a news
conference set tentatively for $3.50
pm, an hour after the scheduled
start of Mr.. Trumans conference
with the key Democratic and Re-
publican members OF both houses
of Congress.
This mornings meeting was the
longest cabinet meeting since Mr..
Truman became President.
Two Courses Open.
Two courses of action are open to
the administration:
/. Either to continue to "scrape
the bottom of the barrel in an ef-
fort to raise the $3.50 00O0,0 900 the
President has estimated is needed
for stop-gap aid, or
2. To bring Congress back in extra
session and dump the problem on
Capitol Hill.
Press Secretary Charles G. Ross
parried a question as to whether
Mr.. Truman would have any state
ment on the aid problem at the news
conference.
Naturally. he will be asked about
it, Mr.. Ross said. You can draw
your own conclusions"
All the cabinet members except
Secretary of State Marshall attended
the morning meeting with the Presi-
dent. Gen, Marshall's place was
taken by Undersecretary of State
Lovett.
Mr.. Ross said he did not know
whether any cabinet representative
would sit in on this afternoons con-
ference at which some decisive ac-
ton is considered highly likely.
White House Not Committed.
The President has said repeatedly
that he would not hesitate to call
an extra session II convinced that
such action is necessary. But be-
yond that there has been no White
House commitment
If the barrel scraping' process
which thus far has produced less
than half of the sum needed to
bolster European dollar credits-is
continued, the administration pre-
sumably will seek informal approval
of the congressional leaders to use
funds not originally intended for
European assistance, but which the
Presidents advisers say now might
be taken legally.
Lawyers of the State, Agriculture
and Treasury Departments are re-
ported to have advised the President
that Commodity Credit Corp. re-
sources might be employed on q
short term basis for European food.
The CCC is the Government farm
price support agency and in that
role buys and sells agricultural
products.
If this plan is discarded and ths
alternative of an extra session de-
cided on, 1t probably would start
the first week in December-just a
month ahead of the regular date.
This would permit members Of
Congress to spend Thanksgiving at
home and give them just about
enough time for action on a relief
program before Christmas. BY thus
narrowing the session, there would be
little opportunity for the majority
to branch off into tax reduction and
other issues not directly related to
relief.
Can Map Own Programs.
A December call also would be
sufficiently far in the future to give
the key committees-which the Pres
ident has asked to meet as quickly
as possible-an opportunity to map
their own programs.
In response to this call from ths
President which followed his meet
ing with congressional leaders on
September 20, the Foreign Affairs
Committees of the Senate and House
have arranged to assemble Novem-
ber 10. The Senate Appropriation
Committee will meet November 18.
House Appropriations Committee has
set no date.
Commodity Credit Corp. officials
have been represented as opposing
diversion of their funds to European
relief, but in event the administra-
ton decides to use them, and forego
an extra session. some authorities
believe that the President would
seek assurance from the congress
sional conferees that they would act
in the first days of the January ses-
sion to provide funds to carry over
until the Marshall self help plan
can be made effective.
The President has estimated this
would be at least until March 81.
The $3.50, 100000 stop-gap funds
the figure has also been placed as
high as $500 ,000, ,0O0-would be de-
signed to carry over from Decem-
Der /, when ordinary resources will
be exhausted, until something is
done on the Marshall Plan.
The relief fund is designed pri-
marily to keep Italy and France
from slipping behind the Iron cur
tain" and since the September con-
ference. the administration has dug
up approximately 250,00O,000 to
(See FOREIGN AID, Page A-2D