Evening star., 1951-04-06
Civil Defense Budget
Is Reduced Heavily;
Setup Criticized
By Crosby S. Moves


mittee today blistered the Fedora,
Civil Defense Administration ano
voted a 43 per cent cut in an
$843, ,463, $50 emergency fund asked
by President Truman.
The committee approved only
$478. .136,368 of the total sought
by the President to finance a
number of emergency Government
activities for the remaining
months of the fiscal year which
ends June 80.
The largest cut made in the re-
quest was in the civil defense
appropriation. Asked for sum
of $403 million for the purpose
the committee recommended $780,
750, 900.
The committee, headed BY
Chairman Cannon of Missouri
scored the plans of the Fedora.
Civil Defense Administration al
"nebulous" and "co-ordinatec
only slightly with the military
forces OF the Nation"
No Funds for Equipment.
1t cut sharply into funds that
were intended to staff a civilian
Nationwide afraid warnins net.
work, provide for the growing staff
lat Federal headquarters, ano
match State appropriations fol
construction of afraid shelters
No money at all was allowed
for the purchase of equipment
for many State civil defeLse &C.
tlvltieS. The committee described
itself as rather amazed" at CDA's
approach to the matter of such
supplies.
About the only phase of civil
defense planning which received
the unqualified approval of the
committee was the program for
setting UP national staff civil
defense training college near
Olney, Md.
The committee allowed S787 900
for the program and then added
an additional s1o3, 900 which had
not been requested for the train
ing and education activity"
AS an example of lack of co-or-
dination in civil defense planning
the committee pounced on a re-
quest for money to set up an at
tack warning system, manned by
civilian, personnel.
An Force System Cited.
AT the present time there
exists q wholly adequate and eff
cient civilian attack warning sys-
tenn in the Air Force" the report
states, "and the committee can see
no need for the Civil Defense per-
sonnel to take over this work"
Explaining the cuts. the COM
mittee noted that it had received
testimony from leaders in the
Government that the Nation faces
its greatest danger from enemy
action during the present calendar
year"
Since a major portion of the
funds asked for would be spent
after 1851, the committee said,
They would be of no practical
value since with the current plan
ming of the Civil Defense Admin
istration they could not be effec-
lively expended in time to meet
the present emergency"
A CDA request for SIS million
for carrying on its headquarters
operation was cut to $3.50 900. The
committee observed that "the Or
ganizational structure as en-
visioned by the estimates appears
to be unrealistic and topheavy."
More realism in organizing the
departmental staff, the report said
would result in substantial saw
ings and a more highly efficient
organization"
The largest cut was made in
the $3.50 million sum asked by
CDA for matching State funds
for air-raid shelters. The COM
nnittee recommended an appro-
priation of $75 million, noting
that unless proper control is
maintained over the funds avail
able for this work there is nothing
to prevent money from being. ex-
pended without desirable results
and at an astronomical cost to
the Government"
One of the larger cuts was in
the Voice of America overseas
broadcast program. Despite a
plea yesterday by the President
(See APPROPRIATION A-7)