U.S. AID FOR JUGOSLAVS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28008, 30 June 1956, Page 9

U.S. AID FOR JUGOSLAVS

Debate And Vote In Senate (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) WASHINGTON. June 28. The United States Senate tonight defeated an attempt to cut off further American aid to Communist Jugoslavia. The decision was regarded as a major victory for the Eisenhower Administration in its bat*le over a 4.500.000.000 dollars foreign aid programme for the financial year 1956-57. However, the Senate did adopt another proposal which would make it more difficult for the President to continue aid to Jugoslavia. It would require the President to certify that Jugoslavia did not adhere to any policy which aimed at world conquest by international communism. The vote' to defeat the outright ban on Jugoslav aid was 50-38.

The successful amendment, introduced by Senator Joseph O’Mahoney (Democrat, Wyoming), was approved by 52 votes to 36. Seeking early final action on the Foreign Aid Bill, possibly tomorrow, the Senate also upheld the Administration by defeating two amendments designed to curb imports of textiles and farm products. These amendments were aimed primarily at Japanese textiles.

The United Press said that the ultimate effect of the O’Mahoney Amendment on Jugoslav aid was uncertain. While it would leave the door open for the President to continue aid to Jugoslavia, it would make it immeasurably more difficult to do so.

Senator O'Mahoney offered his amendment in a successful effort to block the flat aid ban sponsored by Senator Styles Bridges (Republican. New Hampshire). Senator Bridges argued that it was time to end “a very sorry chapter in the aid programme.” “We have given Jugoslavia more than 1,000,000,000 dollars in assistance during the last few years.” Senator I Bridges said, “and what have we got i i return? A Tito honeymoon trip in Moscow and assurances that if it came to a showdown he would fight with Russia.”

The Senate first rejected by 45 votes to 43 an imports amendment introduced by Senator Milton Young (Republican, North Dakota). This would have required the Secretary of Agriculture to clamp quotas on foreign farm crops when the same products were in surplus supply in the United States.

It then rejected by 52 votes to 36 a similar amendment by Senator Olin Johnston (Democrat, South Carolina). This would have required temporary imports quotas on cotton textiles when United States cotton was in surplus.