Evening star., 1953-09-13
U.S.. Housing Project
In Bonn Hit as Too
Lavish, Luxurious
By the Associated Press

By the Associoted Press
Congressional investigators
Yesterday criticized as too Law
ish and luxurious" a SIT million
U. S. housing project in Bonn.
Germany.
The development was built by
the State Department in 1851
to house American Government
officials and employees trans
ferred to Bonn when the West
German capital was moved there
from Frankfurt.
Representative Brownson, Re
publican of Indiana. chairman of
a House subcommittee on Gov
ernment operations which issued
the report, referred to the prof.
ect as lace curtained quarters"
Champagne Glasses Included.
Five officials homes were put
up at a cost of from $115.000 to
1927 900 each, the report said.
In addition, 453 one to four-bed-
room apartments, complete with
furnishings that include severy-
thing from ham slicers to cham
payne glasses. were built at a
cost of $4,000 per unit, the re-
port added.
Each four bedroom apartment,
the committee said. was provided
with two flower boxes. q wall
clock. meat hammer, one g.
inch and two 8-inch ham sljcers
and a dozen glasses each for
water, beer, champagne. cock
tails, liqueur. white wine, red
wine and sweet wine.
Mr.. BroWnSons subcommittee
conducted hearings on the prof.
eCt earlier this year.
Need of Housing Conceded.
In its report the group con-
ceded the project was necessary
to avoid further requisitioning
of German homes for Ameri-
cans. But it said the construc-
ton should have been on more
modest scale. And the commit
tee also questioned whether the
Office of the high commissioner
of Germany had the legal au-
thority to undertake the project
with German marks generated
by American aid funds.
The Germans were required
to match every dollar of Amer;-
can aid with an equivalent
amount of marks paid into a
counterpart fund intended to be
used for projects that would
build up the German economy
Money from this counterpart
fund was used for the housing
project.
Executive agencies operating
overseas have at times tended to
regard such funds as some sort
of funny money" which may
be expended with less restraint.
economy and efficiency than
would be the case with appro-
priated dollars, the committee
said.
3 Times Authorized Amount.
The Office of the high COM
missioner, the committee con-
tended, should have sought con-
ere5sional approval for the Bonn
project.
The committee noted that the
SIT million spent at Bonn alone |
was three times the amount !
authorized by Congress under
the Foreign Service Buildings
Act for State Department con-
STruction throughout the world
in the same year.
The committee had no criti-
Cism of an expenditure of $240,-
900 for the purchase and equip
ping of a residence for the high
commissioner, then John j. Nc
Cloy. 1t said the official and
social responsibilities of the high
commissioner Office demand
high degree of latitude in this
respect"
But it said these considera-
tions do not apply in the same
degree. to the top-ranking Of
ficials for whom the five new
homes were built. The committee
also disagreed also with the Of
fetal contention that even the
lowest paid clerk needs suitable
quarters in which to entertain
as an unofficial representative
of the United States.