Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-17
AT PATRIOTIC CONFERENCE
,Shirt-Sleeve' Diplomats
Urged for FOREIGN Aid
By FRANCES LIDE


BY FRANCES LIDE
Representative Lawrence H.
Smith of Wisconsin said to-
day that this country needs
more shirt sleeve diplomats"
who are willing to 60 abroad to
transmit the true spirit Of
America through technical as
sistance programs at the
grassroots level.
Mr.. Smith told the 30th
Women's Patriotic Conference
on National Defense at the
Hotel Statler that the enorm-
Gus amounts spent on foreign
aid are not producing results.
with Communism march
ing on" he said. we've got to
stop, look and listen. Maybe
we are on the wrong path
He expressed the opinion
that President Eisenhower "is
getting some bad advice" on
foreign aid.
A member of the House For
eign Affairs Committee. he
said, experts tell me a worth
while technical assistance pro-
gram could be organized so
that it would not cost more
than 500 million a year"
We've got to change our
course on a national level" he
declared.
The aim Of our foreign aid
program, he added. should not
be to make over men In our
own image. but to spread the
gospel that the individual Is a
scared being-that's what our
forefathers wrote in our Con-
stitution."
Delegates attending the
opening banquet last night
enthusiastically applauded an
address by Senator Edward
Martin of Pennsylvania in
support of the Bricker amend
ment.
An unexpected defense Of
NATO by another speaker.
however, met with a cooler
reception.
Mrs. Katherine G. Howard.
special adviser to the Federal
Civil Defense Administration.
digressed from q talk on civil
defense to challenge a state
ment by Brig. Gen. Bonner
Fellers, USA, retired. who
was quoted as describing the
North Atlantic Treaty Organ
lzation as complete humbug"
from the standpoint Of this
this country's military defense.
(Gen. Fellers spoke Wednes-
day at a luncheon Of the Ma
tional Society. Patriotic Wom-
en- OF America, one Of the ID
groups affiliated with the
Women's Patriotic Conference
on National Defense.)
Mrs. Howard said she would
agree with Gen. Fellers that q
strong air force is an impor-
tant part of our defense. But
as permanent United States
alternate delegate to the
NATO Civil Defense Commit
tee, she said she is convinced
that NATO is one Of the
strongest deterrents to war
that exists today and that it is
a positive factor for peace"
do we wish to fight alone
in the world with the full force
of the Soviet Union plus all
the productive ability of West
ern Europe pitted against us
or do we wish TO have the re-
Inducements to our strength
which NATo provides?" Mrs.
Howard asked.
Without NATO, the speaker
maintained, most OF Europe
might be Communistic today.
"You will remember" she said,
chow Hitler gobbled up one
small European nation after
another, and 1t was to pre-
vent a repetition of these
tragic circumstances that the
North Atlantic Treaty was
born.
Never forget this" she con-
tinued, "NATO has halted the
march of communism across
Europe. Since NATO came
into being, the Communists
have not gained one foot OF
new territory IN Europe.
Delegates listened quietly TO
Mrs. Towards comments, ap-
plauding only at the conclu-
sion Of her address.
Senator Martin, however,
received repeated applause as
he warned that the Bricker
Amendment is needed to pre-
vent the unwarranted en-
croachment of executive au-
thority upon the legislative
branch of the Government"
and to protect the American
people from the will Of a su-
pergovernment to which they
have not given their consent"
Saluting members of the
conference as loyal and cour-
ageous soldiers in the battle to
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