Evening star., 1949-08-02
Leaders Indicate
Arms Aid Plan
Faces Changes
Senote Group Delays
Hearings to Try to
Meet Objections
By J. A. OLeory


The first sign of administration
willingness to modify its foreign
arms program came today when
Senate leaders revealed a desire
to get as much agreement as pos
sible in committee.
While w. Averell Hartman, spe-
clal ambassador to Western
Europe. was urging prompt action
on the .450,000,000 arms pro-
gram before the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, the Senate
Foreign Relations and Armed
Services Committee met in closed
session to discuss what Chairman
Connally described as modif1ca-
tions lin Some small particulars.
The two Senate committees, in
structed to work as one on the
arms program. put off public hear
ings from tomorrow until Monday
to go over the measure in greater
detail with the experts who
drafted it,
Bill Called Too Broad.
Chairman Tydings of the Armed
Services Committee concurred in
the statement of Senator Connally
that I'VE are trying insofar as
possible to meet objections. The
Texan added that I'VE are en-
deavoring, within the scope of the
bill. to get as large an agreement
in the committee as possible
Neither Senators Conally nor
Tydings would say what changes
were discussed. Senate Re-
publicans. with some Democratic
support. have made it clear. how
ever. they regard the bill as too
broad in the authority it would
confer on the President to ship
arms to any point in the world
when he deems it in the interest
of the United States.
Senators Vandenberg of Mich
igan and Dulles of New York
leading Republican advocates OF
present bipartisan foreign policy
have called for a moderate interim
arms program at this session.
There also has been a strong
sentiment for specifying the coun-
tries to be aided.
Senator Connally. who was des-
ignated to preside over the Joint
hearings. said the two committees
would have another closed session
Friday with the experts who wrote
the bill, in preparation for the
Monday hearing. Secretary of
State Acheson and Defense Secre-
tary johnson sat in with the Sem
ators today.
In his testimony before the
House group, Mr.. Hartman said
the democracies are winning the
struggle for peace and freedom.
but he warned that delay in ap-
proving the arms program might
reverse the trend.
Now Working Together.
"The voices of subversive ele-
ments. the appeasers, those who
would trust neutrality would rise
again and have an effect on the
confidence and determination
which now exists" Mr.. Hartman
declared.
Mr.. Hartman sought to con-
vince the House members that
there is no need to put off starting
the military aid program until
mutual defense plans are worked
out under the North Atlantic De-
fense Pact.
From my own experience I can
testify that the Western Union
countries have been working for
over year on the development
of unified plan of mutual de-
fence" said Mr.. Hartman.
The Western Union includes
England. France, Belgium. the
Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Core of European Defense.
"These countries are the hard
core of European defense" Mr..
Hartman went on. Their cur
rent military budgets provide for
the equivalent of nearly S5,000,-
100000. AS far as they are con-
cerned. work has already been
done in developing armament de-
ficiences for the first phase. name
ly. the equiping adequately of ex-
listing units. Our military officers
(See ARMS, Page A-6.)