Evening star., 1961-07-16
'Foreiun Aid

There are powerful and intelligent
American forces opposed to the kind of
legislation that President Kennedy has.
recommended for the continuation of
our Mutual Security Program, which is
more popularity called, rather loosely,
foreign aid" This aid, designed to help
us as much as the recipients, has been a
thing Of major international signifi-
canoe ever since the end of the
Second World War, and even our most
isolationiSt minded Americans must
admit that it has done lot of good in
certain areas, especially Western Europe.
Nevertheless, in both House and Senate,
there are serious misgivings about the
Presidents proposals on the subject.
With considerable oversimplifica-
ton, these proposals may be outlined as
follows: Q) About SIS billion should be
appropriated by Congress in the current
fiscal year for military and economic
aid to our friends and allies all over the
world (2) In this same field, our coun-
try should make clear to nations every
where that it is ready and willing to
undertake a five-year outlay of more
than $26 billion to promote human free
dom and material betterment through
out the globe. And (3) the President,
in connection with this tremendous
developmental program, should be au-
thorized in advance-without any need
for subsequent congressional authori-
cations or appropriations-to borrow
$7.3 billion from the United States
Treasury over the next five years to
pay for certain long-range projects
(such as big dams) in countries re-
ceiving our help.
On its face, financing arrange
ment of this kind-although it has been
condemned as "backdoor spending"
which has been going on since Herbert
Hoover's day-has much to be said in its
favor. This is so because 1t would con-
stitute firm American commitment to
support numerous countries in carrying
out projects of a type that need years
of construction for completion-projects
that must be supported by incontestably
firm long-term grants or loans not
subject to change from year to year, or
from month to month, by congressional
action or inaction. Certainly, If any of
us may speak with sense of Sureness
in this unpredictable and parlous world,
logic itself suggests the following: The
Presidents proposed program is real
istic in terms of what it promises to
achieve in the field of basic economic
development in those lands that still
have long way to go in the process of
growing up and prospering.
Even so, this is an enterprise that
calls for measure of reserved Judgment.
In a practical sense, in the sense of
trying to get things moving for the
better in certain countries, there can
be no doubt that Congress is right in
wanting to make sure, through the
process Of check and review, that our
money is spent more wisely and eff
GENTLY than it has been in the past in
some areas. It is right, too, in being
hesitant to surrender any of it's con-
Stitutional control over the Nations
pursestrings Nothing could be clearer,
of course, than the fact that we must
continue with our foreign aid" but the
methods involved are open to question,
and the House and Senate therefore
have good reason to challenge the Presi-
dents propositions. Sound and effective
compromise legislation ought certainly
to be possible.