Telegram Intercepted

On the House floor last week, Manhattan's Congressman Frederic Rene Coudert Jr. offered an amendment to the Defense Appropriation Bill. Its purpose, as Republican Coudert explained it, was "to prevent another Korea ... by any President who chooses ... to bypass the Congress in committing the people of the U.S. to great and bloody wars."

The language of "Fritz" Coudert's rider was disarmingly simple. It barred the use of any money for sending U.S. forces into "armed conflict anywhere in the world" except I) after congressional declaration of war, or 2) in event of an enemy attack on either the U.S. or an allied nation with a treaty commitment from the U.S.

That same day President Eisenhower opposed the principle behind the Coudert amendment, calling it an artificial restriction upon the President's flexibility of action. Congressional leaders agreed with Eisenhower.

Said Republican Leader Charles Hal-leek: "If one of our naval vessels ... or a squadron of our planes were attacked over the high seas, under your amendment they could not even fire back until Congress decided to do something about it." Massachusetts' Republican Congressman Richard Wigglesworth said that the amendment could be construed "as an invitation to further aggression in Indo-China." Said Ohio's John Vorys, the House's Republican foreign-policy leader: "Telegraphing your punch is bad, but telegraphing your enemy that you are not going to punch is worse ... I suggest that in this matter, instead of relying upon 'General' Coudert . . . this would be the time when it would be wise to rely upon General Eisenhower."

On a vote of 214 to 37, the Coudert rider died. After that, the House appropriated $28.7 billion for the Defense Department.

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