CONGRESS VIRTUALLY REMOVES CUTS SN EUROPEAN AID PLAN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22669, 21 June 1948, Page 5

CONGRESS VIRTUALLY REMOVES CUTS SN EUROPEAN AID PLAN

(9-30 a.m.) WASHINGTON, June 20. Congress in a session lasting into Sunday morning finally passed by 319 votes to 62 the compromise foreign aid programme, which now requires only President Truman’s signature.

The programme is for 15 months, but the President is authorised to spend the money in 12 months if he believes it necessary.

After a filbuster in the Senate yesterday a compromise draft bill was passed by the House and sent to President Truman for signature. Senator A. H. Vandenberg, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, who has done much to build up the recovery programme, said that in his opinion a gutted European recovery programme would be worse than nothing at all “What is the use of throwing a 12ft. rope to a man drowning 15ft. off the shore. It would be better to keep the rope.” Vandenberg Criticises Truman

The sum approved was 6,030,710.228 dollars, which gives the Administration virtually the full amount it has been seeking and it is considered that the cuts in the European recovery programme have been virtually restored. Help For China and Greece In addition, the European recovery programme includes 400,000,000 dollars for China Aid, including 125,000,000 dollars specifically earmarked for military assistance to the Nationalist Government, and also funds for Greece, Turkey and the occupied areas of Austria, Germany, Japan and Korea, and the United Nations' Organisations for the care of children and refugees. The Senate and House of Representatives’ conference committee on Friday night reported failure to reach an agreement on the widely differing bills passed by each House to finance the European recovery programme and i other foreign aid brojects-

Senator Vandenberg caustically criticised President Truman during a television broadcast. He referred to the President’s recent nation-wide tour as a “self-serving political vacation at a moment when the whole Government should be on the job in Washington.” Observers can recall no previous comment of that kind by Senator Vandenberg about President Truman. Senator Vandenberg lias worked closely with the President and the Administration in shaping bi-narlisau Foreign -olicy. .-