The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1957-02-14
Congressional
Sidelighis
The Foreign Policy
Congressman VIM. Colmer


OF 355 to 81 approved the Presi-
dents Middle East Doctrine
about which there has been SC
much discussion.
The resolution has two pro-
visionSE l. 1t would serve notice
on the masters Of the Kremlir
that if they started any aggres-
sion in those Mid-eastern coun--
tries, the United States would
resist it with armed power il
necessary; 2 1t provides fol
economic assistance to those
| countries.
/ There was, as might have been
expected, a division of opinion
among the Congressman as to
the merit of the proposal. It is
an issue on which honest minds
could well differ.
Personally, we favored the
warning of force if necessary.
but we were opposed to the
economic aid provision. In the
| Committee on Rules we earnest
| ly endeavored to secure an open
rule in order that the two pro-
| visions could be separated and
the House given an opportunity
to express itself by appropriate
| amendments. However, the Lead
| erShip on both the Democratic
, and Republican side insisted or
closed rule which would per
NIT no amendments and the
majority of the Members of the
Rules Committee responded tC
their wishes Along with 146 other
Members we voted against the
| rule. However, the resolution
provides that the 200 million
dollars requested for economic
aid would be taken from monies
already appropriated under the
Foreign Aid Program.
/ On the question of the use
of force if necessary to prevent
| further aggression into these
Il httle free countries We entertain
no substantial misgivings II
| fact, ever since World War |
we have advocated firm policy
in dealing with Russia. In oul
judgement, too long have we
followed the Chamberlain-lik'
appeasement policy in dealing
with the Kremlin masters: Too
long have we, the richest ane
most powerful Nation in the
World, suffered the grossest type
of indignities in an effort tx
appease the Communist leaders
Our vehicles have been stopped
have been ccircumscribed in then
sailings on the high seas. Oul
vehicles have been stopped anc
searched on the internationa
highways. Our aircraft have beer
shot down from the free anyways
Our soldiers and citizens have
been seized and incarcerated il
the vilest dungeons while under
going mental torture worse thar
the Spanish inquisition and helt
for ransom. Taff
AS we pointed out to thu
House, we have emphasized il
speeches on the floor of The
House and elsewhere for thu
past decade our conviction tina
the Russian masters want neither
war nor peace. They are still fol
lowing the Lenin doctrine of try
ing to destroy our economy ane
then take over this country a:
they have taken over other
through utilization and false pro
misses to the resulting hungr,
bellies. Again, as we have otter
pointed out, Russia has backed
up every time her hand wa
called. So
SO far as the use of armed
forces is concerned, it is gener
ally agreed that the President
as Commander-in-C Chief of ou
Military forces and as the author
ity responsible for our foreign
policy under the Constitution
already has that power. What h,
was asking was that the Con
gress, as the representatives %
the people, join him in the pro
nouncement of the doctrines s,
that the Kremlin bosses Woult
know that America was unitet
ehind him
AS we told the House, in gu
judgment the Congress could no
afford not to back him in tn
doctrine that he had already an
nounced as the policy of thi
country. To fail to do SO woull
be an open invitation to tn
Russians to move in on thes
helpless countries and draw
them, too, in ehind the Iron, Cur
tain. Finally, in our judgment
this will prove to be detergen
to war and to further Russian
aggression just as the Formosal
resolution last year prevents
the Communists from taking Owe
Formosa.