Evening star., 1950-04-18
ConnaI|y's Plan Fails
To Go Far Enough on
Bipartisan Policies
House as Well as Senate
Should Be Kept Informed
On Diplomatic Moves
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Senator Tom Connally. Demo
erat, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, has
come forth with a plan for bi-
partisan cooperation on foreign
policy which has been indorsed
by Secretary of State Acheson
and will be widely commended
But 1t doesn't go far enough.
To set up a system of co-opera-
ton between the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee by means oi
eight different subcommittee as
Senator Connally suggests, does
indeed, keep those Republican and
Democratic members informed
but there is no procedure devised
as yet whereby other members OF
the Senate will be kept posted
too. It will do little good to IA
miliarize a few members of the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee and to give them hush
hush accounts of what is being
done If the full committee doesn't
get periodic reports and If the
other members of the Senate are
not advised concurrently.
There is grave doubt, also,
whether the precedent which says
that only the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee members should
be consulted by the State Depart
ment isn't really outworn and out
of date. 1t is a legacy from the
days when the Senate was asked
to ratify many treaties with for
eisn governments.
House Should Be Consulted.
Nowadays very few treaties are
submitted, and such large meas
ures as the Marshall Plan require
action by both Houses of Con-
gress. For this reason it is equally
important that the House of Rep
resentatives be taken into account
In the formulation of foreign pol
icy. The House Foreign Affairs
Committee has long been an i'm
portant institution but it's pres
tige with other members of the
House would be enhanced if it
were placed on the same footing
at the State Department as is the
Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee.
The House members are much
closer to the people. They come
up for election every two years,
whereas only one-third Of the
Senate membership comes up for
election every two years.
The idea of a joint committee
of both Houses would be even
more acceptable. Considerable
success has been achieved in re-
cent years by the device of ap-
pointing joint committees. The
Joint Committee on Internal Reve-
nue. has been very effective and
the same may be said of the
Joint Committee on Atomic
Energy.
The objection that State De-
partment secrets wouldn't be kept
If too many members Of Congress
were involved in the making of
foreign policy can be overcome
by dividing the large committees
into small subcommittee COM
posed of members from both
Houses. 1t is significant that in
recent years members have be-
come impressed with the impor-
tance of keeping State secrets.
There have been no important
leaks from the sessions of the
Joint Committee on Atomic
Energy.
Progress Indicated.
Progress is indicated by the
Connally plan. But 1t will not be
effective in achieving the desired
ends unless it is extended to in
clude House members and unless
there is some method devised to
keep members of both Houses
outside the committees we'll in
formed.
Looking back on the votes In
the House when the Korean pro-
gram was imperiled this year, and
when the European economic CO.
operation program was slashed
last year and later revised in the
Senate, it is apparent that if there
is to be an bipartisan approach
In the making of foreign policy
the groundwork must be laid long
In advance of the time the meas
ures dealing with foreign affairs
come up for debate in Congress.
Much of the foreign-policy
making Of today involves appro-
priations by Congress. This means
that the House is as important as
II not more so than, the Senate
Likewise revenue-raising bill:
must originate In the House. Il
large sums are to be provided
either for foreign aid or for ma.
tional and international defense
1t is essential that the House o.
Representatives, which must raist
the money. be consulted through
its appropriate committees in tht
formulation Of foreign policy.