Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-15
u. 5. Reported
Toughening Up
On Foreign Aid
BY JOHN NJ. HIGHTOWER
Associated Press Stan Writer

Associated Press Stan Writer
The Eisenhower administration
is hardening its foreign aid pol
icy. The idea is to make it in
creaSlngly difficult for nations
in the Middle East ana elsewhere
to get American help if they &C
cept aid from Russia.
The basic decision to develop
this new and tougher attitude is
understood to have been taken
by President Eisenhower upon
the recommendation of Secre-
itary Of State Dulles after his
Asian tour last month.
I No one is quite sure yet ex-
actly how the line will work out
IN specific countries. But in gen.
eral it means that Mr.. Eisen-
hover, Mr.. Dulles and their ad-
visors see no use in letting the
United States be subjected to a
kind of diplomatic pressure game
in which any country which has
IA criticism of American assist
Iance turns to Russia if all its
requirements are not met.
Premier Canal Abdel Nasser
of Egypt provided the most SEN
Sational example of this kind
recently when he warned that if
the United States and Britain
did not meet his requirements
for construction of the high
ASwan Dana project on which
he himself had Just changed the
iSignals-he still had a Soviet
offer in his back pocket.
Recalls Asian Trip
There have been reports that
during his Asian trip Mr.. Dulles
encountered various national
leaders. friendly to the United
States or officially neutral in the
cold war. who told him that they
felt they would solve their prob
lens best by taking some Russian
economic aid along with Ameri-
can aid or acquiring a few So
Wet jet fighters to solve by force
their difficulties with their neigh
bors.
The toughening American at
titude is designed to make it I'M
profitable for a country to play
Russia off against the United
States. The policy is not likely
to be applied in crude, bold
strokes but rather to be used
with precision in those Situa-
tons where it would be more
useful in advancing American
aims.
The indications are that while
Premier Nasser thought he was
going to brighten the United
States and Britain into meeting
new requirements on the Aswan
dam he is likely TO get the oppo-
site effect. The Eisenhower ad-
ministration and the Eden gov
eminent in London take the view
that Premier Nasser is becom-
ing so extreme in his bid for the
leadership Of Arab nationalism
that he is beginning to hurt vital
Western interests in the Middle
East
The Soviet bloc has not only
sold arms to Egypt and Syria.
and trained Egyptian officers in
Czechoslovakia and Poland. but
it has made sweeping offers OF
economic cooperation with
many countries. including India
AfghaniStan, Burma and even
PaklStan, Pakistan is an ally of
the United States.
Working Rule Develops
A working rule which appears
to be developing as the potentialS
OF the new policy are explored
is that the extent of country S
cooperation with Russia in &C
cepting Soviet loans. technical
advisors and the like would be
an important consideration in
>
determining United States re-
action. In the case of Egypt,
the United States has so far not
curtailed its economic co-opera-
ton. 1t has refused to criticize
Premier Nasser for buying arms
from the SovietS-though it de-
nounced the Soviets for selling
them. However. should the Mas
ser link with the Red bloc con-
tinue and expand he would have
great difficulty in maintaining
his ties in economic aid with the
United States. officials say.
The same thing would be true
of any other country which got
into the same situation.
There are other ways. officials
say, in which the United States
intends to apply foreign aid
policies in a fairly hardboiled
manner.
In the conflict between Israel
and the Arab states. aid may be
used as weapon for backing
up the now hopeful truce nego-
tiations Of u N Secretary Cen
eral Dag Hammarskiold and for
supporting peace negotiations
later.