STRENGTH OF U.S.

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 7

STRENGTH OF U.S.

White House Review IN.Z. Prut Association—Covi/rtcM (Rec. 9 p.m.) GETTYSBURG (Pennsylvania). December 29. The White Bouse said yesterday that the United States was not weak militarily in relation to the Soviet Union "at this time," in spite of unofficial versions of the Gaither Report to the contrary. As for the future strength of the United States compared with the growing power of the Soviet Union, the White House Press Secretary, Mr James Hagerty, said that President Eisenhower would go into this matter in some detail in his State of the Union message to Congress on January 9.

The President worked on the message at his farm at Gettysburg yesterday. He planned to continue the preparation of the document next week when he confers with key Administration officials. The Gaither Report is a secret document. It is the result of a survey by an Eisenhowerappointed committee initially headed by Mr H. Rowan Gaither, a San Francisco lawyer and former head of the Ford Foundation. The committee conducted an exhaustive survey of the United States military power compared with that of the Soviet Union. Recent published and unofficial versions of the report said the Gaither Committee painted a doleful picture of the future of the United States in the light of the gains of the Soviet Union in the development qf new weapons, particularly missiles. The White House, according to Mr Hagerty, was particularly concerned about accounts published and broadcast within the past few days to the effect that the United States now was in a woefully weak world position. Mr Hagerty said these reports credited the Gaither Report with such a conclusion.

“Still Secret” Reporters asked Mr Hagerty when and if they could expect to get copies of the report, and if. the versions published thus far were true. Mr Hagerty said that the document was still secret and could not be released. He said he had expected questions oh the report and had a three-point position to state:

“As far as I know there is no factual information in the Gaither Report that has not been available to the committees of Congress, particularly the Johnson committee.” [This referred to the Senate preparedness sub - committee headed by the Senate Democratic Leader, Senator Lyndon Johnson.] "Stories that have been printed which indicate that the United States is in a position of Weakness at this time are not true. They are not in the report and are completely contrary to the report The report says just the opposite.” r ‘The President will give in the State of the Union message his estimate of the military posture of our country as it is now, and what has to be done in the future to continue that strength.” Mr Hagerty said Mr Eisenhower’s conclusions on United States defences in his message to Congress would be based on recommendations and reports from the Gaither Committee, and also another survey group headed by Dr. James Killian, now special scientific adviser to the President, as well as Mr Eisenhower’s own estimate of the situatioq.