Evening star., 1948-01-02
Brooks Seeks 10 Curb
State Department Hand
I'm Marshall Plan Work

1
| Senator Brooks. Republican. MI
nois. . consistent critic Of admin
istration foreign policies, said today
that he and others Of like views IN
the Senate intend to demand that
Operation Of the Marshall plan be
divorced from the State Depart
ment.
Declaring that this group wants
business management" Of any
funds that are voted for European
recovery, Senator Brooks said that
III any other method Is used 1t win
simply be operation rathole.'
The administration proposes that
the funds be handled by an inds-
pendent economic cooperation adj
ministration, which would, how
ever, be subject TO State Depart
ment direction on foreign policy
matters.
At the same time, Chairman Eaton
Of the House Foreign Affairs COM
mittee said congressional action on
the Marshall Plan may be delayed
two months beyond the April dead
line set by the administration In
obtaining stopgap foreign aid funds
to carry on until that date.
Eaton Refuses 10 FIX Date.
II wouldn't set any date, but II We
get through by June /, wen be
fortunate" Mr.. Eaton said.
In arguing for business manage
ment" Of the ~, ,000, ,000, 900 Presi-
dent Truman has asked for European
recovery, Senator Brooks said:
II am in favor Of the intelligent
investment Of American money in
Western Europe to get production.
It must be done under the control
OF men who are engaged in pro-
ductive operation in America and
not by hangers-on from Govern
ment departments"
The Senator said he thinks lead
ers from the fields Of industry,
agriculture and labor should be
called in to organize the recovery
program, In much the same way
IS they were employed to get large
scale production going In the Unit
ed States after the Pearl Harbor
attack plunged this country into
war
Wants Direct Industry Loans.
I'VE ought to send these men In
with directions to make loans direct
to industry and not make any
grants to governments, he con-
tinued.
FOR instance, IN the Ruhr coal
fields we could get production II we
onered the miners consumer soods
as . bonus for digging more coal.
A foreign government couldn't do
that. because its action probably
would cause strike in other vital
industries such as transportation Il
it wasn't paralleled there"
The Illinois Senator said the loans
could be handled through . new Or
existing Government agency, but
insisted that 1t should be entirely
separated from the State Depart
ment, except for = eo-ordinating
link.
Nobody in the State Department
has ever demonstrated any ability
to get production" he declared.
I'VE certainly can't get 1t by send
ing 1t to coalition Socialist govern
ments and then having some State
Department man supervise its
spending.
Production Called Answer.
And production abroad is the
only answer to this question. Every
ton Of coal produced abroad, every
bit Of steel, takes that much strain
Oh the American economy and con-
tributes that much to lowering prices
1T home"
Senator Brooks view. reportedly
shared in part by several Of his
colleagues, apparently represent the
major opposition" that the. Mar
shall plan will encounter In the
Senate.
The Illinois Senator communicated
them to Chairman Vandsnberg Of
the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee earlier in the week when q
half dozen Western Senators called
on Senator Vandenberg to discuss
the European recovery program.
Senator Vandenbers, who has re-
fused comment on the meeting, was
represented as offering no objection
to . business" administration of
the aid proposal. But he was said
to have contended that 1t could not
be completely divorced from foreign
policy and thus must have . close
link with the State Department.
Eaton to Alter Procedure.
In his discussion Of the Marshall
plan Representative Eaton stressed
that he was not speaking Of passing
the legislation in the pattern cut
by the administration, but as It
finally shapes up after careful hear
ings and any revision deemed nee
essary.
| Mr.. Eaton said he did not even
intended to follow the practice Of in
Producing the administration Mar
shall plan bill to get it formally be-
fore his committee.
"This Is the most important leg
islation that has come before the
House, in my judgment. in my time, {"
he said. 1T cannot be treated in
q perfunctory, routine manner"
In addition to the administration
plan for the new ECA = special
House committee headed by Repre-
sentative Herter, Republican, Of
Massachusetts,, which went to
Europe last fall, has recommended
unanimously a bill which would
turn the program over to an inde-
pendent Government corporation
with bipartisan eight-man board
Of directors.
II wouldn't care to sponsor the
State Department or any other bill
at this moment" Mr.. Eaton said,
because Of the vast implications OF
the program. I wouldn't care to
commit myself until we've given
the whole question the proper
study"
Mr.. Eaton said his committee will
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