Half a Loaf

There were cries in the House last week that the reports of isolationism's death had been greatly exaggerated. The charge was more shrill than fair. Congress had come a long way since four months before Pearl Harbor when extension of the draft came within one vote of being defeated.

The new shouts of "isolationist" arose over debate on the Administration's $1,450,000,000 military-aid program. Gathered around South Carolina's Democrat James P. Richards and Ohio's Republican John M. Vorys, a powerful coalition set out to slice the Administration's two-year plan for Western Europe in half. "If you want a two-year program," said Richards, "let's allow for the first year and then come back and take a look..."

Vainly, Speaker Sam Rayburn got down on the floor himself to plead for "the whole loaf, not half a loaf." Such economizing, Rayburn cried, was just another sample of the "same caution, the same hesitation, the same wait-awhile" of prewar isolationism. "There's more talk around here about Communism, but it's a funny thing that when we start to do something about it those speaking the loudest against Communism are found wanting."

To that, Ohio's Vorys had a persuasive answer. By putting through half of the plan now, he argued, "we are showing our good faith, our willingness to go forward. By reserving action on the other half, we will in effect give notice to all of the governments concerned, including our own, to come up soon with an overall plan."

By a vote of 209 to 151, the House agreed. Greece and Turkey would still get $211 millions; untouched also was the $27 million for Iran, Korea and the Philippines. But of the $1.2 billion ticketed for the Atlantic Treaty nations the House trimmed nearly half. Surplus tanks, artillery and ammunition would account for much of what was left.

Chances were that the Senate would put back some, if not all, of the cuts. The Republican compromise worked out by Michigan's Arthur Vandenberg and New York's John Foster Dulles would trim the funds for Europe to an even billion. "But," said Dulles, "there will be no disposition to be foolish and bullheaded about it. That was one of the reasons why the Administration's bill got such bad treatment."

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