Evening star., 1952-05-03
Senators See
Arms Speedup
LOWEST Europe
Committee Says Aid
Spending in 1853
Will Top $40 Billion
By J. A. O'Leorx

ment of arms to Western Europe
in the near future was foreseen
today by the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee in its report
on the $50 billion foreign aid bill
for the fiscal year 1858.
Although the committee voted
last week to cut 81 billion from
the $7.9 billion Of new money re-
quested by President Truman, the
report shows that foreign-aid
spending next year actually will
exceed $40 billion, counting funds
obligated in the past.
The Senate is due to start de-
bate on the program Monday. At
the same time, the House Foreign
Affairs Committee will act early
next week on changes it intends
to make in the Presidents request.
"SlOwer Than Desirable"
The Senate committee said cit
is agreed that shipments of mill
tary assistance equipment have
been slower than desirable"
The report discloses that as of
last January 81, the value of arms
shipped to Europe was only a lit
tie more than $1.2 billion, al
though the total available for mil
itary aid at that time was $9.4
billion.
THUS, for every 50 available
for the European military pro-
grams. only about 81 worth of
equipment has been shipped" said
the report.
The committee points out that
this lag is accounted for by normal
time required for manufacture, in
spection and delivery. It also
points out that the $7.3 billion
foreign aid bill of last year did not
become law until October 81.
The committee said Defense
Secretary Lovett testified that the
same factors that have slowed
down delivery Of arms abroad ap-
piled also to domestic military pro-
duction. He emphasized that when
the defense buildup started there
were shortages of machine tools,
inadequate facilities, scarcity of
critical materials and complicated
designing of new weapons.
The committee said the secre-
|tary concluded, however, that the
picture is noticably better today
and shipments should increase
rapidly in the months ahead"
Postwar Aid Reviewed.
Reviewing foreign aid since the
end of World War II, the. COM
mittee reported that from July /,
1945, through last December, the
United States has given military
and economic aid to foreign coun-
tries totaling $35.6 billion. This
does not include money appro-
priated but not yet spent.
For example, since military aid
began in 1850, $11.8 billion has
been made available by Congress.
AS OF December 81, there was still
$9.7 billion Of that unspent. It
had been obligated, however, and
will be spent faster from now on
as equipment becomes ready for
delivery.
Although emphasizing that there
Is no commitment in this bill
beyond next year, the committee
points out current plans for mu-
tual defense among the free ma
tlons assume that the United
States will continue aid to Western
Europe for the next two years at
about the present magnitude.
Foreign aid, a dozen depart
mental appropriation bills and a.
new wage-price control law are
measures Congress must dispose of
in the next two months If it hopes
to adjourn before the political
conventions begin July z. Some
congressional leaders fear that i'll
the steel dispute is not settled
soon, or If Korean armistice talks
collapse, Congress may have to
take July recess for the con-
ventions and remain in session
the rest Of the summer.