Evening star., 1953-07-25
Senate Unit Weighs
Funds for Overseas
Information Tasks

The Senate Appropriations
Committee will decide today how
much to allow the reorganized
overseas information program for
the next IL months.
It called a closed session to
work on the bill after listening
to an all-day wrangle yesterday
between Senator Mccarthy, Re-
publican, of Wisconsin, and State
Department officials over how the
program has been conducted.
The tension which developed
recently when three Democratic
Senators resigned from Senator
McCarthy's separate investigat-
ing committee seemed to broaden
yesterday. as he clashed with
several members of the appro-
priations group.
Foreign Aid Action.
The committee also will vote
today on the Foreign Aid money
bill, and other miscellaneous ap-
preparations in an effort to clear
its docket as part of the drive
for adjournment of Congress
next week. Indications are the
Senate committee will restore
part of the Sill billion the House
cut from the Presidents request
for $5.1 billion for foreign aid
money.
The pickering over the in
formation program reached it's
height when Senator Fulbright,
Democrat, of Arkansas, showed
his resentment at he way Sen
ator Mccarthy was questioning
him about the international
student exchange program,
which the Arkansan sponsored.
Senator Fulbright is not on ap-
preparations and was present as
a witness.
A one point, Senator Nc
Carthy accused Senator Full
bright of being "afraid to an
Swer" questions. Senator Full
bright retorted that Senator Nc
Carthy was trying to destroy his
testimony and that the Nc
Carthy Investigations subcom-
mittee isn't a normal commit
tee" anyway.
Senator Fulbright said, too,
that he could understand wit
nesses who refuse to answer
questions because of "the indig-
mites to which they are sub
jected."
He went to the witness chair
to defend the student exchange
program after Undersecretary of
State Walter Bedell Smith went
to bat for the information pro-
gram.
Gen. Smith, who has been re-.
ported to be very cool to Sena-
tor Mccarthy, kept his temper
in check during a rather stormy
session over books by Reds in the
library program.
And Fly Fishing.
Senator Mccarthy recalled
that Senator Hickenlooper Re-
publican. of Iowa had been
asked whether the Government
should spend money on a book
by Communist author on such
a non-controversial subject as
fly fishing. He said Senator
Hickenlooper was against any
such purchases on grounds any
sale of a book by q Communist
would help a Communist.
Senator Mccarthy put the
same question to Senator Full
bright.
The Arkansan said it might
be necessary sometimes to draw
a fine line in purchasing Com
munist books but in general he
was against buying them.
After protesting the question
wasn't relevant, since he was
testifying on the educational ex-
change programs, not on books,
Senator Fulbright said he didn't
think the Government should
buy a Communist book if the
royalties meant a Significant
contribution" to communism.
Senator Mccarthy called the
answer inadequate. He and SEN
ator Fulbright started yelling
back and forth and Senator Nc
Carthy began pounding on the
bench at which the Supreme
Court used to preside.
Acting Chairman Ferguson,
Republican, of Michigan inter-
ceded to say he thought Senator
Fulbright had answered.
Senator Ferguson then granted
Senator Fulbright the right to
complete his statement on the
cultural exchange program be-
fore being interrupted by further
questioning.
Senator Fulbright called the
program a field in whcih I'VE
have a monopoly" because the
Iron Curtain nations cant stand
examination" by outsiders as
this country can. He objected
vigorously to House-attached
amendment which places new re-
strictions on the use of the for
eign credits for the program.
Thye Then Steps In.
Senator Thye, Republican of
Mime sofa, pinch-h;tting as
chairman, found himself in con-
troversy with Senator Mccarthy
when he asked Senator Fulbright
to give some typical example of
how the program works to United
States benefit.
Senator Mccarthy suggested
that Senators who are witnesses
should stick to matters they
can't cover on the Senate floor"
SharOlV Senator Trhva told I,jv,o