Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-21

schools. some OF this money
would have gone to nearby
Maryland and Virginia coun-
ties.
Three times the conferees
huddled with their respective
leaders to resolve the dispute.
, Defeated Twice In Senate
The House began the argu-
ment last Monday by adopting
an amendment preventing the
Export-Import Bank or any
other Government agency from
guaranteeing loans on crop
deals with the Communists.
The Senate had twice voted
against such a ban. The second
vote came Thursday after Pres
ident johnson had written a
strong letter to Democratic
Leader Mansfield, assuring
Congress that he would act
only in the national interest in
approving such credits.
He also pointed out that
sales of wheat and other farm
commodities to Soviet bloc
countries are plainly good fol
American farmers, exporters
railroads and other industries
as we'll as for the balance-of-
payments situation.
Run Into ROadblOcks
After much negotiating, the
conferees finally worked out a
compromise which declared il
to be the policy of the United
States not to guarantee these
trade credits for Communist
countries, except when the
President finds it is in the ma
tional interest and so reports Il
four committees of the House
and Senate.
After this agreement was
reached, House leaders ran into
parliamentary blocks
which prevented the House
which had been in recess fol-
Is hours, from meeting again
at 2 O'Clock this morning.
Under House procedure il
became necessary to go to the
Rules Committee for a specia,
rule to wave points of order
against the compromise, be-
cause it imposed new duties or
the President.
Finally, about 3 am, the
House voted. 1872 to IS, to adopt
the rule which made the
compromise in order
Mr.. PaSSman then pleaded
that it be accepted pointing
out that the conferees haC
done the best possible job II
holding down the foreign aiC
bill.
He pointed out that the con
ference figure of So billion il
new money, with a carryover o
$3.50 million in unspent bal
ances, was SIS billion less thai
President Kennedy asked for
He said it was also $602 million
below the ceiling this sam
Congress authorized just a fey
days ago.
Mr.. PaSsman argued furthe
! that the House conferees hat
J accepted less than half of tn
$500 million the Senate addet
to the House bill.
But the fight did not involve
these money items. 1t centereC
entirely on the surplus grains
amendment.
Representative Findley, Re,
publican Of Illinois, who spon.
sored the original House bar
on Communist trade credits
said the compromise pulls al
Of the teeth we put into thu
amendment on Monday"
Already Owe Money
Representative Jensen, Re.
publican Of Iowa, said the
State Department has showr
the Communists already owe
the United States a large sun
of money and that they have
even declined to make repay.
ment on a reduced basis.
House Democratic Leader
Albert of Oklahoma said the
compromise preserves the in.
tent of the original House
amendment fixing a policy
against such credits, but with
out preventing the president
from acting in the nationa
interest.
Mr.. PaSsman argued that the
Senate, having twice rejected
the House ban, would not TAKE
it on a later vote. He also de-
Tended the terms on which thu
surplus grains would be sold tt
Russia and other CommuniS'
states. He said these terms cal
for Is per cent cash, another
2 per cent in six months
another Is per cent in ont
year and the last installmen
in 18 months.
Representative Mahon. Dem
ocrat of Texas, also deploreC
any House action that would
make it more difficult for TIT
President to deal with thu
Soviet Union. He said this il
the Presidents greatest job.
To defeat the aid bill on thi
one amendment, he said "woulC
be a vote of no confidence il
dealing with the Soviet Union
Mr.. Halleck said he ha
known Mr.. johnson for a lonI
time and has a high respec
and regard for him. But, h
said, Congress is appropriatinI
the money of the people of tn