Evening star., 1947-05-12
Foreign Policy Issues.
StiIIHigh on Calendar.
Four Bills in Vanguard

1VW 0nlS III s0sI00IN
Hearings on the need for con-
tinuing q foreign information
service in the State Department
will start before a House sub
committee tomorrow. as both
branches OF Congress prepared
to push important foreign policy
issues this week.
Other developments during the
week are expected to include:
/. Senate passage of the $780,
00O, 900 relief bill for liberated courl-
tries. which the House cut to $780,
000, 200. It will be taken up as
soon ~ the pending labor control
bill Is passed.
4. House passage OF the State.
Justice, Commerce and judiciary
appropriation bill, from which the
Appropriations Committee elm
mated funds for the State Depart
ment's foreign information actiyi-
ties, including the Voice OF Amer
icA broadcasts. House debate on
the supply bill starts tomorrow.
). Final agreement by both
houses on the details Of the $40O,-
900, 900 Greek-Turkish aid bill.
Acheson, Hartman to Testify.
Undersecretary of State Acheson
and Secretary Of Commerce Harri-
man will be the first witnesses to-
morrow at hearings on the bill Of
Representative Mundt, Republican,
OF South Dakota to give permanent
status to the Foreign Information
Service, and to define its scope. Mr..
Mundk introduced his bill after the
Appropriations Committee dropped
this activity from the new State
Department budget.
Mr.. Mundt said passage by the
House Of the 500, 0,0O0, 900 Greek
Turkish aid bill, now awaiting flnal
agreement between the House and
Senate on minor amendments,
makes It important that We do not
silence the voice of America
abroad"
He declared that il Congress
should turn out the beacon lights
which illuminate our processes OF
freedom abroad" the world would be
left in total darkness of falsehood
and misrepresentation" This would
happen, he contended, 'if only the
statements OF those who oppose
freedom and attack America are to
be heard and read in foreign lands. "
Bill Would Enlarge Program.
Mr.. Mundts bill would create q
permanent foreign information serv-
Ice and educational exchange within
the State Department. The program
proposed, he said, 'is considerably
more elaborate and extensive than
the broadcasting and cultural rela-
tions activities" now carried on.
Mr.. Mundt's subcommittee, named
Yesterday by Chairman Eaton OF the
full committee, consists OF Repre-
sentatives Judd. Republican, of Min
nisota; Lodge, Republican, OF Massa-
chusetts; jackson, Republican, OF
California; Richards, Democrat, OF
South Carolina; Jarman, Democrat,
OF Alabama, and Mansfield, Demo-
crat, of Montana. ..-
Representative Stefan, Republic
can. Of Nebraska, in charge OF the
State Department budget, explained
today why his subcommittee reduced
= the fund for entertainment abroad
from $1,118,000 to $500, 600. Assert
ing that some American diplomats
have been entertaining one another,
Mr.. Stefan said he felt this money
should be used, as originally in
tended, "for prestige entertainment"
Of diplomats of other countries.
The Nebraskan said also that too
much of the money is used for the
entertainment of people who, by no
means of imagination. could bring
any additional prestige to the
United States" Mr.. Stefan made
these comments after going through
q stack Of vouchers from the Ameri-
can embassy at Belgrade, Yugo-
slavia.
Dinner Includes Magicians.
On New Years Eve, 1s45, the EN-
bassy gave $500 dinner for Mar
shall Tito and his cabinet, Mr..
Stefan said, and less than a month
later a $4O0 dinner was laid out for
the same guests-65 Of thenH
THE memorandum shows that
two magicians and one balancer
were employed at a cost of $75, Mr..
Stefan reported. Il do not know
what q balancer is, but I assume
Il 10 some form OF entertainer"
Five American flyers were killed
August 10. 1946, when their plane
was forced down by Yugoslav fight
er pilots. Two days before. Mr..
Stefan said, the Embassy at Bel
grade had given reception and
buffet supper for l08 persons, and
on August "a, IS. 81 and through
September 1t gave parties for from
I to So guests, including the British
Ambassador.
One voucher. Mr.. Stefan noted.
was wreath for funeral of airplane
victims. $3.50" 1t was dated Au-
gust 20.
"The only purpose I have in mind
In calling attention to this partic-
illar item" he said, rs that feel
that in spite of the fact that we
are liberal in spending for prestige
entertainment for foreign service,
sometimes the expenditure for this
lavish entertainment does not bring
the prestige we are seeking. In
this particular case, it had apparent
no impression on the Yugoslavian
government, whose aviators shot
down five Of our flyers" ..-
Mr.. Stefan said the entertain
ment fund, called representation
allowances" swelled from $l25 90 in
1888 and 1899 to $608, 600 this year.
The $500, 900 recommended by Mr..
stefan's subcommittee would be for
the fiscal year beginning July l.
500 Jewellers Attending
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