Evening star., 1951-12-17
Hartman Heads Home
To Help Set Size Of
European Aid Plea
BY the Assoeiaied Press


w. Averell Hartman, the Tru-
man administrations foreign aid
boss, is due home from Europe
this week to help decide the size
Iof the assistance program to be
laid before Congress early next
year.
1t was learned that both Mr..
Hartman and Secretary of State
Acheson. who recently spent six
weeks in Europe. are convinced
that Congress should allow the
administration greater freedom in
switching funds from military to
economic uses and that they un-
doubtedly will recommend this.
Both men are understood to feel
that the present limits on Western
Europe's ability to rearm are OF
such a nature-that is, financial
or economic-that in the long
run the United States can buy
more security for Europe by in
Icreasing its economic aid than by
concentrating heavily on sending
weapons.
Hartman Due Thursday.
What the opinion Of President
Truman's two chief advisers ap-
Ipears to boil down to is that the
United States should spend at this
stage more of its billions in aid
to help the Europeans step up
their own production and rela-
lively somewhat less than 1t has
been on buying American arms
to send over to Europe.
Mr.. Hartman is due In Wash
ington Thursday. Between now
and then he is expected to wind
up at Paris final work on a survey
of Atlantic alliance military needs
and production financial resources
which has been made during the
past few months by a special COM
mittee of the IL North Atlantic
Treaty Organization nations.
This survey, which will go be-
fore the Atlantic Council meeting
at Lisbon In February is expected
to produce far-reaching revision
Of rearmament plans by bringing
about:
!. The maximum effort to bring
available NATO divisions In West
ern Europe up to battle readiness
by next July / so that the NATO
then will have about 30 divisions
able to fight II necessary.
2. A modification of the long
range goal of the present plan
which now calls for the organiza-
ton and equipment of 9O-odd
divisions in Western Europe by
1854.
Time May Be Extended.
The time for reaching this goal
probably will be extended by one
or two years and the number of
divisions to be aimed at may be
tentatively reduced.
There has been some advocacy
particularly among that group OF
Mr.. Harriman's advisers who ran
the Marshall Plan for Europe, that
what is needed most of all is q
heavy increase In dollar aid to
Europe. They are reported te
favor having Mr.. Truman ask
Congress for considerably moro
than the $8.3 billion which he re.
quested for the present fisca,
year. He got about ST billion les,
than that for this year.
The State and Defense Depart.
ments. however, are described
authoritatively as now favoring 8
request for about the same amount
sought last year.
Those who advocate this line oj
action presumably believe thu
bulk OF the Job can be done with
such an amount provided the ad.
ministration Is permitted con.
siderable flexibility In switchins
funds from purely military pur.
poses to economic aid in support
OF military purposes. Out of thi,
years program for Europe, eco.
nomic aid totals $3.50 million witt
maximum transfer for militar,
funds Of $3.50 million.