Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-04
By FRANK GERvAsr

ROME.-It Is already evident
in Italy-that the recent congress
sional cut Of $40 million from the
budget Of the United States Infor-
nation Agency will complicate and
confound the agency's mission here
during this crucial Italian election
year.
That mission is, or should be, to
generate understanding Of and
support for American and Western
democratic policies and detectives.
At no time in the last IL years
have America and the West needed
such understanding and support
more than they do now. It was in
recognition Of this need that Great
Britain expanded its own overseas
information program by SIS mil
lion. In an italy only Just emerging
from a generation Of fascism,
there are many men who. like
Caesar, believe their republic is
merely a sham" And the rev re-
public is only 10 years old.
The USIA had become a source
Of strength for Italian trade
unionists. university professors,
editors, businessmen and opinion
moulders" in every walk of life,
from lowly smalltown BARRIERS on
up to cabinet members. The
agency constituted an arsenal Of
democratic ammunition with
which to counter the powerful Of
lenses Of the expert and we'll
heeled propagandists of the Left
and fight of the Monarcho FASCIST
nostalgics Of the Right.
The arsenal. fortunately, has
not closed down. although some
Of its operations have been elm.
mated. But 1t is not as big as 1t
was nor as effective. And this is q
crucial year in Italian postwar
history. with democracy facing a
grave crisis generated as much by
q resurgence Of Monarcho- Fascist
sentiments as by the continued
pressures from the left and its
allies.
20 Per Cent Slash
The USIA's Italian budget has
been reduced from $2.l million tn
$1,750,000. a reduction Of nearly
20 per cent. True, this was O
smaller cut than the so per cent
slash In Britain or the 40 per cent
contraction effected In France.
But the amount leaves the
agency facing a Communist an
tagonist able to spend S48 million
q year for propaganda. The
Italian party's budget for printed
material alone comes TO $4,000
monthly or $4,000 a year, while
the United States will spend
$l.750,000 for all media.
The reduction not only has
meant letting 60 q number Of
American employees on whom the
Government spent q lot of money
clearing. transporting and train
ing for their jobs. but firing
about SO irreplacable Italian work.
ers with special skills and Ian
guage abilities.
The cut, furthermore. came Just
as the agency. founded in 1858
by an executive order merging the
information services of the State
Department. the Mutual Security
Administration and the Point
-Four program. had begun to
achieve q certain maturity. Al
though often handicapped by lack
Of policy directives. 1t had started
demonstrating skill and imagina-
ton in fulfilling its mission.
Here N Rome. much Of the
agency's work is necessarily overt.
AS a guest of the Italian govern
ment. it cannot frontally attack
the Communist Party. q legally
constituted entity. But because
the country's parliamentary ma
jority. however slight. is anti-Com.
munist and pro-Western. USIA
may disseminate information
against communism and in sup
port Of democratic institutions.
The other day, for instance. q
leading university asked USIA to
supply it with 10000 copies of the
Constitution of the United States
in English and Italian. The order
will strain the agency's new min