President Cuts Aid Budget

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30395, 20 March 1964, Page 11

President Cuts Aid Budget

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, March 19.

President Johnson sent to Congress today a sharply-cut foreign aid programme calling for 3400 million dollars to combat world wide poverty and ignorance and communism in 1964-65.

The sum, for the fiscal year starting on July 1, took into account mounting Congressional displeasure with foreign aid.

It totalled 1100 million dollars less than the figure sought by President Kennedy for the current year and equalled the appropriations provided last December after a prolonged fight in Congress.

President Johnson’s recommendations called for 1000 million dollars in military aid and 2400 million dollars in economic assistance.

Officials said the request took into account the Administration’s determination that assistance to overseas allies and friends should be given only when adequate self-help measures were taken by the recipient countries themselves.

Privately, Administration sources agreed that the White House was taking a gamble in hoping that an appropriations request trimmed of all its padding would

not suffer further cuts at the hands of foreign aid foes in Congress. President Johnson, in a message requesting the funds, said:

“We will be laying up a harvest of woe for us and our children if we shrink from the task of grappling in the world community with poverty and ignorance. “These are the grim recruiting sergeants of communism. They flourish wherever we falter. If we default on our obligations, communism will expand its ambitions."

Two-thirds of the proposed military assistance, the President said, would be allocated to 11 nations along the periphery of the ChineseSoviet bloc, from Greece and Turkey through Thailand and Vietnam to Formosa and South Korea.

Four-fifths of the supporting assistance—funds used chiefly in countries facing defence or security emergencies—would go to South Korea, South Vietnam, Laos and Jordan.

Two-thirds of the development lending proposed, including alliance for progress loans in Latin America, would be concentrated in six countries—Chile, Colombia, Nigeria, Turkey, Pakistan and India.

Clandestine Wedding (NJ!. Prets Assn.—Copyright) LONDON. March 19. Prince Andrew of Jugoslavia. whose marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh’s niece, Princess Christina, was dissolved in 1962, has secretly remarried, the “Daily Express” says. His wedding, with only a couple of friends present, took place last year in Tunbridge Wells, Kent His new wife, the German Princess Kira, aged 33, has given birth to her first baby, a 61b sox boy, to be called Karl.

Prince Andrew, aged 34, works as an insurance broker in London.