davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
THE BUDGETMAKERS
Their Work Is Never Done

cause as Mr.. Lehrer explains,
there was an incredible waste of
time and effort involved"
Human nature being what it is,
post commander asked for his re
quirements" for the coming year
quite naturally tossed in everything
but the kitchen sink ("and some-
times the kitchen sink, too" Mr..
Lehrer added. The sum total of
all these exaggerations was, of
course. a gross exaggeration which
had to be cut down to size.
THE figures that came out were
so different from what the installa-
ton asked for that it was hardly
worth having all that initial work
DONE" Mr.. Lehrer pointed out.
It Storts on Top
Now the budget work starts at
topside. In the case of the new
document, one of the first steps
taken was by the Joint Chiefs OF
Staff, who went last spring to
Puerto Rico and talked budget.
The jos came back and turned the
job over to the budget experts of
the three services.
Mr.. Lehrer denies that anywhere
along the line was dollar-ceiling
imposed on the Pentagon by the
White House or Budget Bureau.
I'VE haven't had any formal cell
ing imposed on us in the last four
years." he said.
However, we are fully aware Of
the facts Of life" he added.
Through consultation with sub
ordinate Offices, the three services
get a fair idea of what the require
ments for the fiscal year will be.
Then. Mr.. Lehrer says. budget
planners can make good guess
innate" within to 10 per cent of
what the eventual requirements
will be.
In the planning stages. budget
GERS come up with basic policy
questions which have to be re-
solved before a budget can be
written. An example Of such a.
question would be, do we go in
for extensive mobilization reserves
of materiel?"
If the answer is that the defense
agencies should try to stockpile 100
per cent of theoretical require
ments, the budget is likely to be
inflated considerably; II the answer
is fiat no." the budget will be
smaller.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20

incidentally. that industry is doing
magnif1cently.
The Strauss policy holds that for
the Government to build reactors
up and down the land now would
be waste of manpower and ma
terial. He contends that it is more
important to carry on experimental
work-at least nine different types
of reactors are currently being test
ed-so that when atomic power Is
really needed in the United States
it can be produced most econom-
ically.
Denies British Lead
When critics suggest that Great
Britain is ahead of the United
States in this field, the chairman
replies that the atomic power is now
economical in that country because
of fuel shortages.
Even so, Mr.. Strauss asserts that
the United States still will have the
first nuclear reactor designed ex-
clusively for production of civilian
electrical power when the Ship
pingsport. Pa. plant begins oper-
ating this year.
Capitol Hill sources report that
Democrats on the Atomic Energy
Committee are concerned with more
than the safety factor in the La
goona Beach affair, The legislators
are annoyed, it is said, by the fact
that the commission granted the
permit to PRDC after the COM
missions own advisory committee
on reactor safety filed an adverse
report on the breeder project and
before any hearing was held.
Although no hearings have been
scheduled SO far by the Joint Com
mittee on the Lagoona Beach affair
or on Commission procedures. it
seems highly probable that some
sort of inquiry will be made. 1t
could come, as is most likely. during
consideration of legislation for in
demnity payments and insurance
against losses of life and property
III the event of atomic accidents.
For several years there has been
talk that some day the regulatory
functions in connection with the
development of the peaceful pur-
poses of the atom might have to be
separated from the Development
and manufacturing functions. One
suggestion has been that a new
regulatory agency. divorced from
the Acc, might be necessary. The
staff of the Joint Committee several
weeks ago began study of alter
natives to the present set-up.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
BY FRED THEROUX

The Suez Canal. blocked since
last october by some 81 sunken
ships and blown-up bridges. will
be open to navigation by ships Of
up to 10000 tons displacement by
March, and to all shipping by May.
This is the forecast of IT. Gen.
Raymond A. Wheeler. retired Amer
lean Army officer who is directing
the titanic task of putting the
most vital man-made waterway in
the world back in business.
"A United Nations salvage force.
comprising vessels from Italy,
Sweden, West Germany. the Meth
erlands, Denmark and Belgium. is
working almost around-uhe-clock
to reopen the choked channel.
The Egyptians. attacked by
Israel, Britain and France at the
end of october, sank everything
they could find in the canal bed.
Dredges, tugs, salvage vessels and
rockbreakers Of the Suez Canal Co.
were the first to be scuttled or blown
up. Ships Of foreign registry,
trapped in the canal by the block
ing, were not molested. But every
thing belonging to the canal COM
pany, plus vessels of the Egyptian
navy that were available, was
promptly sunk
Twelve Major Blocks
OF the 81 distractions, there are
about IL which present unusually
difficult problems TO the salvage
ships. (See accompanying map
Worst of all is the Egyptian
navys LIST Aka, lying on its
side across the channel about mid
way between Port Said, the canals
northern terminus, and Suez, at
the south.
The Aka was thoughtfully
loaded with cement and scrap iron
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20

to his wishes, he can and ought
to fire them.
1t is not q happy experience,
but had to fire several people
in my time. II you have a heart
and a grain Of sympathy in your
makeup, it is hard to debut it
must be done.
This is very different from the
so-called cabinet" system of gov
eminent, where the principal ex-
ecutive officers are elected officials,
and the prime minister or premier
is the spokesman for the group.
That system is government by a
group or committee, and the chief
executive is a sort of committee
chairman. It is not the American
system.
The American President is not
a chairman of the board, because
his board or cabinet owes its ex-
istence to him. He can never hide
behind their skirts, or escape re-
sponSibility because they refuse to
back him up or refuse to go along
with him. He always has the ma
jority vote in the cabinet. If they
do not carry out his policies, they
must resign or be fired.
This does not mean that a men,
Der of the Presidents cabinet can
not disagree with him in cabinet
meetings. But when the President
decides. his decision must be fol-
lowed and carried out.
The next job of the President
and this is also enumerated in the
Constitutions to be commander
in chief of the armed forces.
He appoints and commissions Of
ficers in the Army. Navy and Air
Force. He has complete authority
over the armed forces of the United
States. He can place generals in
command, and when it is necessary
he can take them out. And some
times that is necessary. This is
a very great responsibility, and one
that has to be considered very, very
carefully.
He Makes Foreign Policy
The third job would like you
to think about is the Presidents
role in foreign affairs. He is the
foreign policy maker of the Nation.
The Constitution says he shall
appoint ambassadors with the adj
vice and consent of the Senate and
receive ambassadors and ministers
from foreign governments. Few of
us fully appreciate what this means.
Our ambassadors are the personal
agents of the President-his eyes
and ears abroad. The ambassadors
of other countries cannot operate
here unless they are approved by
the President.
To put it another way, the Presi-
dent recognizes" foreign countries,
automatically. and this is a great
power and responsibility.
The President is our foreign
policy maker. also. because he ne
gotiates treaties. The Constitution
says he shall have power to make
treaties" by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate.
In the days when the Constitu-
ton was young. George Washing
ton tried to carry out this provision
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20

by going personally to the Senate
with proposed treaty and getting
their advice and consent during his
negotiations. The Senate said they
couldn't act on things that way
they said they would have to ap-
point a committee and have them
report back. and they couldn't work
properly with the President sitting
there.
At this, George got indignant and
left in a huff. So ever since, the
President has negotiated the treaty
first. and then submitted it to the
Senate for approval. But he can
make executive agreements with
foreign countries and send special
representatives without consulting
anybody. Strong Presidents have
always done these things.
One of the by-products of the
Presidents job as our foreign policy
maker is that any utterance he
makes on foreign affairs will be
heard around the globe almost as
soon as he makes it.
The President has to be ex-
ceedingly careful about what he
says. Whatever he says has both
foreign and domestic repercus-
siOns, even il he only cusses out
an unfair music critic.
The foreign policy job of the
President is enough for one man,
without the other two jobs / have
described, the executive job and
the command of the armed forces.
But there is more to come-much
more.
The Legislative Role
Turning again to the Constitu-
ton. there is the Presidents legis-
lative job. The Constitution says
that he shall from time to time
give Congress information on the
state OF the Union and recommend
measures for their consideration
And of course he must approve the
laws before they can become effec-
tive. unless Congress can muster a
two-thirds vote over his veto.
The Constitution has written the
President in as vital and necessary
party of the legislative process, and
he Is not supposed to stand back
and be Eyes man" for Congress.
He must fight for his legislation
program. If he doesn't, he's a weak
Executive.
The function of recommending
legislation is now broken down in
to several distinct tasks. In the
first place there is the budget.
The Congress has the purse
strings all right: no revenue can
be collected and no money can be
spent unless the Congress says so.
All tax bills have to originate in
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
SoIvogers Hack Away at Suez Distractions

The U. N. salvage force is fully
conscious of the importance of the
task they have undertaken. While
they work against clock and calen-
dar, Europes factories rear smoke
less chimneys against the winter
sky. Throughout Western Europe.
homes and apartments are chill and
dank. And diesel trains, motor
trucks, buses and private autos are
idled.
The initial efforts of the U. N.
fleet of 36 vessels paid off their
first dividends when IL ships,
southbound in the canal about one
third of the way from Port Said
and trapped by the outbreak of
hostilitieS. were turned around in
a bypass and made their way safely
northward to the Mediterranean.
The job was a ticklish one. par
ticularly for the 24,000-ton 800
foot Cities Service tanker Statue
OF Liberty"
Gen. Wheeler, optimistic on his
salvage teams progress, has had
no easy task to face AS U. N.
official, he had to deal with in
transigeant Egyptians, frustrated
British and French commanoess.
floating and sunken Egyptian
mines in the canal, and overzealous
Egyptian commands with itchy
fijoper finpers and iratp TANKER
shippers whose million-dollar prep
critics were as helpless in g
blocked canal as they would have
been on the slnds ct the sur.
rounding desert.
But barring a renewal OF hos
tilities. the u. N. force Of many ma
tions is confident that the 103-
mile artery, joining the oil fields
of the East to the industry Of the
West. will be functioning again by
spring
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
What Is q Breeder?

A breeder reactor, like other
reactOrs, releases heat energy
through controlled nuclear fis-
sion. Its unique feature is that it
produces more nuclear fuel than
1t consumes
The breeder uses fashionable
uranium (U-235) as the fuel in
the reactOr core. The breeder
blanket, formed of rods of nom
fashionable ura MUM (U-238),
completely surrounds the core.
When the U-238 rods are exposed
to the fast neutrons given off in
the chain reaction of the fission-
ing U-235, they are transmitted
into plutOnium fPu-239), a fis-
sionable material.
Builders of the Lagoona Beach
react0r say that for every 81
Kilograms of U-235 consumed,
LOG Kilograms of plutonium will
be produced.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
BY WILLIAM HINES

One might think that with the
budget for fiscal 1858 now matter
Of public record, the Governments
budgeteers could relax and enjoy
themselves little.
But this is far from the case. Like
jugglers freneticsily keeping three
fragile dishes in the air at one time,
the Nations financial experts are.
at any given time, coping with
three budgets. Their work on the
one just released began last spring
and won't be finished until the end
of June, 1858. And by that time the
budgeteers will be deep into spade
work on the budget for fiscal 1860.
AS might be imagined from a look
at the big book. tremendous
amount of work and thought goes
into preparation of Uncle Sans
budget. More than half the budgets
money-and certainly more Than
half the observation-disclosures to the
Pentagon. So the way the Defense
Department works on a budget is
revealing of the whole process.
Orderly Process
According to Max Lehrer, one of
the Pentagon's top budget officials,
fiscal planning these days is rela-
lively easy. Our programs now are
pretty solid," he explains. with
no fluctuations, planning can pro-
coed in pretty orderly fashion,"
Out Of such orderly planning, Mr..
Lehrer says, comes a budget that
will remain workable throughout
its life.
When the first steps were taken
last spring on the new fiscal 1858
budget, the Pentagon was in the
midst Of justifying its fiscal 1857
request in hearings before Congress,
and was finishing out spending of
the appropriations for fiscal 1856.
Similarly, by the time last weeks
budget goes before committees on
Capitol Hill, work will be getting
under way on budget for fiscal
1859.
Pentagonians have learned the
hard way that the best way to
start working on a budget is to
have the first steps taken by people
at the top. II used to be that bude-
cts were built from the bottom up
with requests coming in from
every little installation to be to-
tailed UP at the home Office. This
was stopped several years ago be-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
Policy WrongIe Centers
On Atom Power Project
BY L. EDGAR PRINA

This years opening skirmish in
the continuing political war over
development of economic electricity
from nuclear energy appears to be
the fight over construction of the
Lagoona Beach (Mich.) atomic
power plant.
Three labor unions, including
Walter P. Reuther's powerful Auto
Workers. are demanding that the
Atomic Energy Commission with
draw the provisional permit it
granted last August to the Power
Reactor Development Co. to build
fast breeder-type reactor on the
Lake Erie shore, 80 miles southwest
of Detroit.
The unions have threatened to go
to court, but currently are seeking
administrative action through an
Acc hearing. the first ever held
under the licensing provisions of
the Atomic Energy Act of 1854. Ac-
cording to the unions, PRDC has
failed to show that it can build
and operate breeder reactor safely
and therefore is not entitled under
the law to a construction permit.
PRDC says there is no danger
whatsoever in the mere construc-
tien of the reactor and that when
this work is completed in late 1859
the Acc must determine whether it
can be operated safely before the
company can begin running it to
produce the 100000 kilowatts Of
which its companion electric gen.
Grating plant is capable.
Cite British Program
Spokesman for PRDC also make
these points:
. The British are building a breed
er due to begin operation next
year although they still do not have
all the necessary technical data.
. Neither Gov. G. Mennen Will
liams Of Michigan, who has been
known to be responsive to the
wishes of the Auto Workers on oc-
casion;- the utility workers who will
be employed in the atomic plant,
nor the town government of nearby
Monroe, Mich, have raised objec-
tons to construction of the reactor.
. And PRDC, combination of 81
firms. including the Potomac Elec-
trio Power Co. of Washington. is
risking more than $43 million in the
venture and is not willing to jeopar-
die this outlay nor public conf
dence by operating a reactor it has
reason to believe may not be safe.
Quick support for the Reuther
point of view, however, has come
from four personalities who have
been feuding with Aces hard
headed chairman. Lewis L. Strauss,
for years. All Democrats, they are
Senator Anderson of New Mexico,
former chairman of the Joint Com
mittee on Atomic Energy; Repre-
sentatives Holifield of California
and Price of Illinois, members of
the Joint Committee. and Thomas
E. Murray. the lone Truman APP
pointee still serving on the Acc.
Paradoxical as it may seem,
these men. who believe that the
building of Americas first COM
mercial breeder reactor should be
held up, have been sharply critical
of what they hold is the admins
tration's failure to adopt a really
vigorous civilian reactor program.
They want the Government to do
more and spend more in this field.
On the other hand. Mr.. Strauss
wants to give private industry, with
Federal assistance where neces-
sary, more of an opportunity to
show what it can do. He believes,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20

branch and gives the Executive
certain powers and duties. Article
III sets up the courts, creates a
Chief Justice of the United States
and gives certain powers and duties
to the courts.
The founding fathers outlined the
presidency in Article II of the Con-
stitution, but they left good many
details vague. The Office of the
Chief Executive has grown with
the progress of our Republic. It has
given our Nation a means Of meet
ing our greatest emergencies. And
today it is one of the most impor-
tant factors in determining whether
we provide leadership for the free
world
Now, if you take the powers Of
the President as enumerated in
Article II of the Constitution. and
the duties that have been given to
the President by the growth and
development of our institutions, and
add them up, you will conclude that
the President has the most difficult
job in history.
Gift Of the People
1t is also the most honorable and
powerful office in the history of the
world, and one of which every
American should be proud-becauSe
the President is given his position
by the voice of the people, and no
emperor, king or dictator in history
ever rose to a position of such
power and influence as this chosen
spokesman of free electorate.
The Presidents job is really five
or six jobs.
Now / want you to bear one
thing in mind. As a former Presi-
dent of the United States, my
sympathies are with the man who
has to hold down these jobs.
may not agree with him poll
tically, and / reserve the right to
say whether he is doing his work
well or badly, but he still has my
sympathy, because / know exactly
what he is up against.
One of the first of these Jobs
and this one is enumerated in
Article II of the Constitutions
to take care that the laws are
faithfully executed. This means
the supervision of the work of the
entire executive branch-not only
to enforce criminal laws through
the Department of Justice, but to
carry out all legislation, whether
1t applies to national defense, to
public lands, to postal rates, to
immigration. to rural electrification,
or to any other subject.
Such a job Of supervision is a
staggering one. No matter how
much help the President may have,
and no matter how we'll organized
the executive branch may be, he
has to work to keep a firm grip
on the policies of all executive
agencies.
He Hos the Responsibility
For, make no mistake about it,
the President has the ultimate re-
sponsibility for the conduct of the
entire executive branch of the Gov
eminent. That is what the Con-
stitution says, and that is what
it means.
While the President can and
must delegate certain of his execu-
tive functions, he cannot dodge the
ultimate responsibility. In all the
executive branch he is the only
elected official, and he alone is re-
sponsible to the people. The men,
bers of his cabinet his staff, and his
other executive officers owe their
appointments to him, and their con-
tinuance in office depends on his
will, and his will alone.
Congress can't make him keep
them. If they are not responsive
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20

the House. All appropriation bills.
by courtesy, originate in the House.
They don't have to; when I was
in the Senate, we claimed we had
the right to originate appropria-
ton bills. but we never exercised
1t.
But even though Congress has
the purse strings, the President
is responsible for spending the
money appropriated, and he has
to tell Congress how much the
executive branch needs. This is
the budget-and It goes to Con-
gress every year in January, and
the prosperity and welfare of the
Nation depend, in great measure,
on what is in it.
A President must be familiar
with the income and expenses of the
Government of the United States,
not in vague, general way. but in
detail. He has experts--the Bureau
OF the Budget-who keep him in
formed, but it is still necessary for
the President to know what the
national budget provides and why.
1t is difficult subject, and it re-
quires much work and mental ap-
plication.
In addition to the budget mes
sage, the President sends to Con-
gresS an annual message on the
state Of the Union, recommending
in broad terms the legislation he
thinks necessary to keep the coun-
try running. Then there is the
Presidents economic report re-
quired by the Employment Act Of
1864 very good law passed by a
Democratic CongreSs-in which the
President sets out what the eco
nornic situation of the country is
likely to be. and the policies which
should be followed to create full
employment and to make business
prosper.
This fourth job of the President
the legislative job-does not stop
with these three messages. There
are special messages he sometimes
sends to Congress. and then there is
the whole job of getting the pro-
gram through Congress.
Usually this can best be done by
working with the congressional
leaders, but there are times when
the President has to go before the
country on radio or television and
tell the people what he is trying to
do-and put firecracker under the
House or Senate because that body
won't act.
Veto Power Is Importont
Then there is the veto power. I
vetoed, ! think, more bills than
any President except Grover Cleve-
land and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
You will find that a Presidents
administration is characterized as
much by his vetoes of bad legisla-
ton as it is by the legislation he
recommends and approves. take a
lot of satisfaction in some of my
veto messages.
Now comes the fifth job Of the
President. and this is the job 1
got the most kick out of. The
President is the head of his
political party.
You won't find this job men,
toned in the Constitution. Political
party leadership was the last thing
the Constitution contemplated. The
founding fathers did not intend the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-20
About This Article

Harry S. Truman is. in addi-
ton to being the. 3Sd President
of the United States, a student
of the presidency-its powers, its
duties, its traditions. This ar
ticle outlining Mr.. Truman's views
on that high Office is condensed,
with his permission, from an ad-
dress he, delivered last fall at a
Massachusetts, Institute Of Tech
n0lOgy- Harvard Law school
forum In Cambridge, Mass.