Evening star., 1948-03-18
Truman Likely
To GET UNIT or
Draft, Not Both
Party Labels Are Lost
As Military Plans
Divide Congress
BY the Associofed Press

Congress split down the middle
today on President Truman's
plans for snoring up the Nations
military strength with universal
training and revival of the draft.
Party labels were lost in the
shuttle as leaders divided over the
two measures Mr.. Truman said are
needed to flex the muscles of a
country that has become "the prin-
cipal protector of the free world"
against communism.
The upshot seemed to be trend
toward giving the President one
but not both-of the manpower-
raising laws. Universal military
training looked like slightly the
better bet, although the cards are
stacked against UNIT in the House
right now.
AS third step to halt the ag-
gressive march of "one nation
Russia-Mr. Truman also called for
quick and final approval of the
$5, 100000 Marshall Plan for
European recovery.
House Committee Agrees.
The Senate already has passed
Its bill. And. within four hours of
the Presidents address to Congress,
the House Foreign Affairs Commit
tee stamped its approval on a SIM
liar program.
The Chief Executive told New
York st. Patrick'S Day banquet
audience last night that the big
issue in the world now is tyranny
versus freedom"
Our faith and our strength" he
said, must be made unmistakably
clear to the world"
Bluntly, Mr.. Truman accused
Russia of trying to sabotage the
peace and of seeking to bring all
Of Europe under Communist sway.
The still-free nations that re-
main, the President said, this coun-
try must support with its full
military, economic and
moral"
Asks Facts Be Faced.
And he said-as he had earlier in
the day to joint session of Con-
gress-that this Nation must be
strong to keep the peace He warned
against "the insidious propaganda
that peace can be obtained solely by
wanting peace"
'We will have to take risks dur
ing the coming year-risks perhaps
greater than any this country has
been called upon to assume" he
declared grimly. But they are not
risks of our own making and we
cannot make the danger vanish by
pretending that it does not exist.
1--WE must be prepared to meet
that danger with sober self-restraint
and calm and judicious action if we
are to be successful in our leadership
for peace"
Mr.. Truman used different words
before Congress:
I'VE must be prepared to pay the
price of peace, or assuredly we shall
pay the price or war"
Congress Agrees on Goal.
Congressional leaders In both
major political camps agreed on one
thing-they want to do something
to stop the spread of communism
across not only Europe but the
world.
But there the agreement stopped.
Chairman Vandenberg of the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee said that if this country does
not now have the essentials of ma
tional armed security I'VE must
provide them by the most available
immediate means"
Senator Vandenberg was said to-
view with some favor the Presi-
dents request for limited military
draft. But he apparently is less
inclined toward universal military
training,
Senator Taft of Ohio, a Repub-
lican presidential candidate, in
dicated he may fight the draft, as
we'll as the UNIT proposal which he
long has opposed.
Senator Taft said he regretted
that Mr.. Truman had not pressed
for real unification of the armed
forces" and for the worlds biggest
air force.
Strong Air Force Stressed.
The air force idea found wide sup
port. Senators Brewster, Republi-
can, of Maine; Russell, Democrat, of
Georgia; johnson, Democrat, of
Colorado; McCarran, Democrat, of
Nevada; Umstead, Democrat, of
North Carolina and Malone, Repub-
llcan, of Nevada all plugged for it.
In the House it was offered as a big
part of the answer to military pre-
paredness by Representatives Mer-
row, Republican, of New Hampshire;
Harvey, Republican. of Indiana and
Mitchell, Republican, of Indiana.
In this connection Senator Brew
(See TRUMAN, Page A-6)