Evening star., 1950-08-08
Republican Charges
Democrats Padded
Figures on Korea Aid
By Gould Lincoln

SS@tS Gbt@O"
The recent attempt of the Dem
ocratic Congressional Committee
toIplace the blame on Republicans
in Congress for the Red attack on
South Korea was met head-on to-
day by Representative Hall of New
York. chairman Of the Republican
Congressional Committee.
Mr.. Hall said the statement,
issued for the Democratic COM
mittee by its chairman, Represen-
tative Kirwan of Ohio, to all Dem
ocratic candidates for Congress,
was "replete with outright errors
of fact, padded figures and distor-
tions of the actual record"
The Hall statement was in the
form of letter addressed to the
same Democratic candidates for
Congress to whom Mr.. Kirwan had
sent a memorandum entitled
'Korea," Background Information
on History of United States Aid
and Causes Leading to the Present
Conflict"
The Republican chairman told
the Democratic candidates they
had been "duped and misled by
your Democratic Congressional
Committee" and that their safest
course in the coming campaign
was to ignore this compendium
of errors, distortions and padded
figures" He added that the Demo-
cratic committee could take no
better course than to withdraw
the communication and apologize,
If not to the Republican members,
to the SO Democratic representa-
tives who had voted against the
$3.50 million economic aid bill for
South Korea, which was first de-
feated in the House last year and
later enacted.
Campaign Issue Shapes Up.
Mr.. Hall made it clear that the
Korea war and the AdminiSt7a-
tton's policies in the Far East be-
fore the Red attack would be a
major issue in the Congressional
campaign. He described the Tru-
man policies in the era as tragic"
and responsible for the conflict.
Turning to the Democratic
memorandum. issued July %, M.
Hall observed that this document
had said: More than 1910 mil
lion was provided in arrIs and
equipment for defense purposes"
for the South Korean republic.
This" said Mr.. Hall, sis COM
plete misStatement of fact and an
error as to figures" According to
a report issued by the House For
eign Affairs Committee on July
IL. military assistance to Korea
amounts to $57 million. not 1910
million.
Obviously, S252.747, 900 of vital
military aid which the South Ko-
reans so badly needed and which
the Democratic congressional
committee implies South Korea
received is missing"
Charges Facts Were Withheld.
Mr.. Hall went on to say that
1t is missing because it never ex-
listed. and grew out of an error by
the congressional committee in
reading the report of the Foreign
Affairs Committee. The latter re-
port, he said. in q breakdown Of
aid provided South Korea, said
the sum, docs not include ap-
proximately $253, 900 of naval guns
and ammunition and aircraft
armament purchased by Korea at
no cost to the United States"
The Democratic committee, said
Mr.. Hall, had withheld from the
Democratic candidates vital facts.
The first, he said, was that the
Republican position in Congress
for five years has been total and
complete opposition to the policy
laid down by the Truman Ad-
144AAAoIA oOAOAA, SdA1lIlS 1OI G1lC dp- |
peasement Of the Soviet Union
In Asia. which has resulted in the
fall of Manchuria, China and
North Korea, and which threatens
the entire continent as we'll as
Japan and the Philippines" This
policy, he said, dates from Yalta
in February 1945 to June 81, 1850,
when President Truman COM
pletely reversed the American
position and personally decided
on armed Intervention.
baltimore Quoted.
In opposing appeasement of
Communism in Asia, "Mr. Hall
added, "the Republicans protested
a policy which, in the words of
Owen LSttimore who helped shape
it, provided not military assistance,
but economic assistance so that
China and Korea would be allowed
TO fall without making it look as
The Weuthe