Evening star., 1954-04-28
House Leaders Fight
Arms Budget Proviso
Curling Troop Use
By Robert K. Walsh


A proposal to prevent the
sending of United States troops
TO Indo-China without specific
congressional consent was vigor-
ously opposed by Republican
Legislative leaders as the House
opened debate today on a $28.6
billion armed services appropria-
ton bill.
House leaders predicted defeat
of such an amendment which
Representative Coudert, Repub-
lican, of New York, said he
would introduce tomorrow. They
declared such a restriction would
tie the hands of President Eisen-
hover in an extremely delicate
international situation.
House Republicans, however,
privately expressed more con-
Germ about a report that some
Democrats plan to suggest that
action on the appropriation bill
be delayed until the Indo-China
situation is clarified"
Urged to Reconsider.
The House scheduled only
general debate on the bill today
and hoped to take a final vote
late tomorrow. Mr.. Coudert
served notice that he would Of
fer an amendment banning use
of any of the money for main
tenance of United States troops
in Indo-China or anywhere else
in the world unless Congress
specifically granted permission
or in event of a formal declara-
ton of war.
Representative Wigglesworth,
Republican, of Massachusetts,
chairman of the Appropriations
subcommittee in charge of the
Defense Department measure,
urged Mr.. Coudert to reconsider
that idea.
He said such an amendment
would be most inadvisable and
most unWiSe in view of the situ-
alton that exists in the world
today"
A Buy American" require
ment and unrestricted civilian
employment by the armed forces
seemed likely to arouse as much
discussion as Indo-China.
Democratic members and some
Republicans indicated that they
will question the $1.2 bill
lion cut from the original
Defense Department cash budg-
ct requests for the fiscal year
beginning July /. They are pre-
pared to attack the $5.6 billion
slash from the amount available
for expenditure during the cur
rent fiscal period.
The armed services appropria-
ton bill received House Rules
: Committee clearance yesterday
after brief open and closed meet
ings. The public session brought
no mention of events in Indo-
China or possible eventualities
at Geneva. 49, -~--.--,--.
Wilson Comment Recalled.
No one referred to a comment
by Secretary of Defense Wilson
earlier this week that the new
look" military plans and expen-
ditures might need a second
look and "soul-searching re-
view" if developments take a
more unfavorable turn in Asia
and Europe.
Some Democrats, while not in
tending to vote against the bill,
repeatedly planned to urge at
least the restoration of the $298
billion total originally requested
by the Eisenhower adminiStra-
ton. They do not attribute all
of the S1.2 billion cut to the
House Appropriations Commit
tee which actually trimmed only
about S541 million. The re-
naming S665 million represented
reductions recently volunteered"
by the administration.
The main Democratic demand
was that the White House and
the congressional Republican
leadership should clarity" the
administrations policy, particu-
larly on Indo-China.
There were even stronger signs
that many influential House Re-
publicans will resist any move
to modify the Buy American"
provision in the bill. Represen-
tative Brown, Republican, OF
Ohio, Rules Committee men,
Der, defended this Appropria-
tions Committee recommended
ton. He criticized the Randall
CommisSion's recommendations
he said would require the armed
services to fill much of their
overseas needs by overseas buy
ing.
The Appropriations Committee
proposal to remove the present
457,000 limitation on the num-
Der of civilian classified employees
in the Defense Department was
expected to arouse opposition by
some Republicans as we'll as
Democrats. Such a lifting of the
ceiling would result in replace
ment of several thousand mill
tary personnel by civilians.