Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-20
Stossen Is Named by President
ToStudy Disarmament Control
In Special Cobinet-Leve| Post
Unprecedented Job
Goes to FOA Leader.
Peace Cited as Aim
By Robert K. Welsh

President Eisenhower set up an
unprecedented Office with full
cabinet rank yesterday to work
on problems of disarmament
with a view to easing world ten
sions in the atomic age. He
named Harold E. Stassen its
head.
The 48-year-old former Repub-
lican Governor of Minnesota,
now Foreign Operations Admin
istration director, will be a Spe-
cial Assistant to the President
to handle questions of disarma-
ment "as part of our constant OBJ
jective of peace" the President
announced.
Mr.. StaSSen said he would be-
gin work tomorrow to organize a
staff and start "a more thorough
and penetrating study of dis
armament than has ever been
made" So far as he or anyone
at the White House could recall,
no comparable Office dealing with
disarmament matters has ever
before been established in this
country or anywhere else in the
world.
Still With FOA
Mr.. Stassen will continue also
as FOA head until Congress acts
on the agency's mutual security
program requests for the next
fiscal year. Under present law,
which some influential members
of Congress say will not be re-
enacted, FOA is to go out of
existence June 80. Its economic
functions would be transferred
to the State Department and its
technical responsibilities to the
Pentagon.
Mr.. Stassen told reporters he
expects to devote as much time
as he can to his new assignment
and will rely increasingly on the
FOA staff to carry on activities
by that agency. The mutual Sc
curly program authorization
and appropriation bills are
scheduled to be submitted to
Congress early next month. Mr..
Stassen said he assumed he
would continue at his FOA SAL
airy of $4,000 for the time being.
White House officials said each
of the present four Special
Assistants to the President re-
ceives $4,000.
The appointment of Mr.. Stas-
sen does not require Senate con-
firmation. Initial comment at
the Capitol was favorable. AL
though there had been rumors
Mr.. Stassen would get an import
ant place in the administration
when FOA expired, the Presi-
dents action yesterday came as
q surprise. Mr.. Stassen disclosed
that the President some time ago
asked him to assume the respon-
sibility but informed the Cabinet
only last Friday.
"Atoms for Peace" Cited
Comment from the Capitol in
cluded observations that the
Presidents move should have
valuable effect on world opinion.
Mr.. Stassen. talking with re-
porters, made much the same
point in declaring that creation
of the new Office was closely tied
in with the Presidents "atoms-
for-peace" plan and his urging
that the world strive for an age
of international understanding
and cooperative peace instead of
IAN age of atomic hysteria and
horror"
Senator Aiken, Republican, of
Vermont. hailing the new step,
said it should convince other
nations of the world that we take
disarmament seriously" He
cautioned that disarmament is
not just around the corner.
1.-The burning question of the
world now is disarmament" said
Senator Aiken. member of the
Foreign Relations Committee.
"Mr. Stassen will have an uphill
Job but his appointment indi-
Gates that the President is de-
termined to do everything pos
sible in this direction"
Chairman Russell, Democrat,
(See STASSEN, Page A-8,)