Evening star., 1950-06-29
Korea Crisis Debate
Nay Delay Passage
I0f Arms Aid Bill
By ]. A. O'LeoY

By J. A. O'Leoy
A vote on the S1,222 500 900
foreign arms bill may be delayed
today by further debate on the
Korean crisis, but its passage ap-
pears certain before the week end.
Senator Cain, Republican. of
Washington. proposed today that
Korea be taken out of the bill
and handled separately. but ad-
ministration leaders expect to
beat any such move.
Meanwhile. observers believe
Senator Taft of Ohio drew the
pattern many Republicans will
follow on Korea when he took the
floor late yesterday to indorse the
steps President Truman has taken,
but charged that administration
bungling of foreign policy helped
create the current crisis in the
Pacific.
Urges AchesOn Resignation.
The Ohio Senator also called on
Secretary of State Acheson to re-
sign on the ground that Mr.. Tru-
man has reversed State Depart
ment policy in dealing with COM
munism in Asia.
He told the Senate that ANY
Secretary of State who has been
so reversed by his superiors and
whose policies have precipitated
the danger of war, had better re-
sign and let someone else admins
ter the program to which he was,
and perhaps still is. so violently
opposed"
Majority Leader Lucas replied
that Senator T'aft'S speech was
the kind that plays directly into
the hands of the Kremlin." and
suggested this is a time for unity
rather than to dig up past mis-
takes, or presumed mistakes. and
trying to divide the country"
SIG Million for Pacific Area.
The pending bill for the second
year of American arms aid to CO.
nations contains only
SIG million for use in Korea and
the Philippines, but administra-
ton Spokesmen believe its speedy
passage would have a reassuring
effect at this time on all of this
country's allies in the effort to
preserve peace. The bulk of the
arms program is for the North
Atlantic defense area.
Senator Cain told reporters the
SIG million item should go back
to committee for more testimony
by top State and Defense officials
on actual requirements in the
light of the current hostilities in
Korea. The bill was reported
from committee before the Com
munists in North Korea invaded
the republic of South Korea.
The Washington Senator argued
that the pending bill is only the
authorization for the second year
of arms aid. The funds would
still have to be put through both
houses in an appropriation bill.
Senator Taft charged in yester-
days speech that Congress ear
marked sos millions last October
for military aid to Korea.
Webb Testimony Cited
Assistant Secretary of State
Webb testified specifically both
before the House and Senate, that
the appropriation was sought for
the purpose of helping the Koreans
to deter external aggression. "
Senator Taft continued. "As a
matter of fact. however. appar-
emily no part of this appropriation
other than 5000 has ever been
spent to give military assistance
TO the Republic of Korea"
To support his claim that the
President has reversed his Secre-
tary of State. Senator Taft said
Mr.. Acheson told the Senate For
eign Relations Committee in Janu-
ary that 'the United States would
have an impregnable defense line
Formosa, and presumably
without Korea"
Senator Taft recalled his own
suggestion last winter that the
United States send a fleet to pro-
tect Formosa, and cited comments
Of administration supporters at
that time. bellittling his sugges-
tion.
Senator Taft raised these spe-
cif1c points in criticism of past
policy in the Pacific:
l. At Yalta and Potsdam the
United States agreed to the occu-
patton partition of Korea, with
Russians in the northern half.
He called the agreement part of
the sympathetic acceptance of
communism as a peace-loving
philosophy which has made Russia
a threat to the very existence of
the world"
2. Failure to use troops in more
vital China encouraged the Com
munistS to aggression.
3. Withdrawal of United States
troops. accompanied by arming of
South Korea, invited attack"
4. The administration stand on
Formosa emphasized clearly the
policy of non-intervention.