Evening star., 1952-05-26
Funds for Foreign Aid

It is not surprising in the political atmos-
phere of today that the House vote, under
Republican leadership, to slash foreign aid funds
is being interpreted in some quarters as re-
buke to General Eisenhower Actually this is
strained Interpretation of the House behavior.
In the first place, General Eisenhower in
his recent letter to the Senate Armed Services
Committee, carefully refrained from specifying
in terms of dollars the amount which he thought
should be voted. He did take notice of the
decision by the Foreign Relations Committee to
reduce the proposed $7.9 billion by approximately
81 billion and remarked that its effect would
have substantial impact in Western Europe.
Any materially greater reduction, he continued,
would add to the complications of rebuilding
free Europe's defenses, discourage our friends
and encourage our potential foes. The Generals
perspective, in short, is that of one viewing
progress and end results rather than cost.
In the second place, if the House action in
cutting an additional $7265 million is to be
considered rebuke it is one directed more at
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, or the
witnesses who appeared before 1t and the mass
of evidence which they presented.
There is nothing sacrosanct about an ap-
preparation request and, as General Eisenhower
himself said, Congress has great responsibility
to weigh the costs of the tremendous security
effort The House committee attempted to full
fill its proper function in this responsibility by
screening the foreign aid bill intelligently and
scientifically. Through this procedure it con-
cluded that various reductions totaling about
81 billion could safely be made.
The approach on the House floor was
different one in which an economy of the mo-
ment was seemingly given greater priority than
studied consideration of the objectives and
the effect of appropriation reductions upon
them. It is difficult to believe, however, that
the decision Of the House majority, or even any
substantial number of members, was reached
for the deliberately political purpose Of en-
barrassing General Eisenhower.
Our present effort to establish the security
OF the free world Is at a critical point. Great
progress has been made in arousing ourselves
and our allies to the menace of Communist
aggression, and in preparing in material ways
to meet that menace. No responsible person
would argue that the costs in money should be
disregarded or approved in cavalier fashion,
Instead the weighing of these costs in relation
to what they can purchase should be done most
carefully-a difficult requirement in the floor
OF either House or Senate.
The appropriation bill goes before the Senate
today The Foreign Relations Committee already
has decided on approximately the same re-
ductions as did the House Foreign Affairs Com
mittee. In the Senate there has been an added
screening by the Armed Services Committee.
which concurred in the findings of the Foreign
Relations Committee. Proposals for further
reductions will be made on the floor, but the
Senate should not be stampeded by them It
should give careful consideration to the studied
recommendations of its two committees And
it should be sure that any apparent saving will
not be achieved at the expense of the security
Of the United States.