Evening star., 1947-09-30
After the First Step

There Will be little or no disposition to
quarrel with President Truman's conten-
ton that a meeting of the congressional
committees dealing with foreign affairs
and appropriations is necessary first
step" in meeting the problem of helping
the people of Western Europe to live
through the winter. But it is both sur
prising and disappointing, in the light of
other things said, to read that the Presi-
dent continues to have an open mind"
on the question of calling Congress into
special session to deal with the emergency.
The situation apparently boils down to
this: MIR. Truman says that the admins
tration can put hands on enough money
to maintain Western Europe, especially
France and Italy, on starvation basis"
until December l. BY that time the ad-
mintstration's funds will have been ex-
hausted and so will the resources of
France and Italy. The starvation basis
aid will have to be cut off on December /
unless additional funds, estimated at
total of $580,000.0OO up to next March 81,
are made available. And Mr.. Truman says
that these funds can be made available
only through action by the Congress.
IT these things are true. as they un-
doubtedly are. what possible explanation
is there of the continuing indecision with
respect to the need for special session of
Congress? The next regular Congress will
not convene until January, and it GER
tainly would be we'll into the month before
1t could act on any European aid program.
What is going to happen to the people
OF France and Italy during the interval
between the termination of our starvation
basis aid on December and the effective
date OF action by the new Congress?
what will they eat and how will they live?
Questions such as these must be con-
sidered against the background of what
has come to be known as the Marshall
program for the economic recovery of
Europe. That program is vital to Europe.
1t also is vital to us, unless we are willing
to accept the disastrous isolation which
would be imposed on us by the collapse of
existing governments In France and Italy
and their replacement by Communist
dominated regimes. Yet Mr.. Truman says,
and again he is manifestly right, that the
Marshall program will not have chance
OF success unless means are found of en-
abling France and Italy to survive this
critical winter as free and independent
nations
This raises again the basic question:
Why all the hemming and having about
the need for special session? Mr.. Tru-
man seems to be saying very plainly, but
by indirection. that the funds necessary to
keep France and Italy going through
December and into January can only be
made available by action of Congress, and
That means special session. If this is
not correct, If there remains some hitherto
undisclosed way by which the need may
be met, the President ought to say so. But
II this is not the case, II Congress alone
can meet the emergency which will be
upon us after December /, If the alternative
to congressional action is the collapse of
France and Italy and the failure of the
Marshall plan, then the President surely
should grasp the nettle and serve notice
on the legislators that they will have to
be called into special session. If the meet
ing of the congressional committees is
necessary first step, this certainly is the
all-important second step, and it is hard
to see how the President or. any one else
can continue to have an open mind
about it.