MARSHALL AID TO BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26078, 3 April 1950, Page 7

MARSHALL AID TO BRITAIN

CONGRESS REVERSES DECISION IRISH PARTITION CLAUSE DROPPED WASHINGTON, March 31. The United States House of Representatives to-day crushed an “Irish rebellion” among its members, and restored Marshall Aid to Britain. Bv a standing vote of 226 to 60, the House reversed the tentative snap vote of last Wednesday, which would have withheld aid from Britain until the partition of Ireland was ended. Administration leaders mobilised their forces to-day to defeat the Irish Unity Condition Amendment which was carried by a vote of 99 to 66 on Wednesday. A large Irish-American bloc of Congressmen from both sides of the House had then forced tentative approval of the amendment which threatened to deal a major blow to the Administration’s foreign aid programme. The defeat of the amendment to-day followed strong condemnation, by Administration leaders and large sections of the American newspapers, of the Houses action on Wednesday. They regarded the amendment as an “unfortunate practical joke.” The amendment was regarded in Congressional circles as a bid for election support from millions of IrishAmericans in kev constituencies throughout the United States. The House, earlier to-day, tentatively approved Mr Truman’s four-point programme for extending aid to underdeveloped countries, but it cut the first year's funds from 45.000.000 dollars to 25.000.000. In the final vote the House approved the foreign aid programme of 3.102.450.000 dollars for the 12 months beginning July 1. The amount was 270.000.000 dollars short of the total asked for by Mr Truman, but otherwise in line with his wishes. One of the last votes to-day reversed the amendment earmarking 1.000.000.000 dollars for the compulsory supply of United States farm surpluses to the Marshall Plan nations. The Bill will now go to the Senate.