Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-25
A Commission of Many Views

Few reports to a President or to Congress
have contained so many challenging and dis
senting points of view as are to be found in
the 102-page document submitted by the Ran
dali Commission Ranging over the broad field
Of foreign economic policy, as directed the
mixed commission Of businessmen, labor
leaders and legislators has ended up with
divergent opinions on the report as whole
and on most of the recommendations included
in it..
The fact that the strongest and most
uncomplmentary dissent describing the report
as vague, indefinite and unsatisfactory
comes from Chairman Reed and Republican
Representative Simpson of the House Ways and
Means Committee, the group which has initial
jurisdiction over tax and tariff legislation,
indicates that the trade policies proposed are
sure to encounter trouble from influential men,
bers of President Eisenhower's own party when
the issues arise on Capitol Till. An additional
and only relatively milder dissent is filed by
Chairman Millikn of the Senate Finance Com
mittee, whose position on the Senate side Is
comparable to that Of Mr.. Reed in influence
That the commission has ended this phase
Of its work with SO many differences Of opinion
does not, Of course, mean that the study Is
without value or that it may not lead to con-
structive legislation. It did not require appoint
there are broad and deep conflicts Of view on
what should be our foreign economic policies,
and that one Of the splits exists within the
Republican Party itself. The President has
made clear on several occasions-rnost recently
IN his state-of-the- Union message of January 7
that he Is believer in removing the "arbi-
trary restraints which he feels have tended
to cramp world trade In recent years The gen.
orally contrary views on this matter held by
Mr.. Reed and Mr.. Simpson, for example, have
been equally well known.
The commission does, however, provide
many specific recommendations - take-off
points from which the administration and the
Congress can undertake the formulation Of
legislation. Perhaps the most controversial of
these are: ID the proposal that the Trade
Agreements Act with its delegation to the
President Of power to negotiate such agreements
and to authorize continuing reduction in tariff
rates, be extended for not less than three years
and CD that the United States should "acquiesce
in more trade in peaceful goods between
Western Europe and the Soviet bloc" There
are other proposals on such matters as termina-
ton OF foreign economic aid, setting up condi-
lions for greater American investment abroad,
currency convertibility and so forth that have
been considered and discussed before
Probably the most realistic of all the COM
missions statements is one that there is mo
single or simple solution" to the problems of
world commerce and that the chances of i'm
proving the overall situation will probably
depend even more upon the efforts Of other
countries than upon our own"
AS to what the administration hopes will
be our own effort, the President said on January
that he would submit detailed recommends
tons to the Congress after receiving the COM
mission report.