Bitter Billions

As soon as the excitement over Ike's campaign intentions had simmered down, Joe Martin took over from Bill Knowland and got the Glatfelter Hall conference back to brass tacks about the foreign-aid bill. The House, as Ike knew, had already sliced the Administration's last-ditch request by more than half a billion to authorize a foreign-aid program of $3.9 billion for this year. Now in the second go-around it was about to vote the hard cash in an appropriation bill and was flirting with a tough $3.6 billion, recommended by its Appropriations Committee. Things looked so bad, explained Martin, that pushing for more might result in less. Far better to take the $3.6 billion, trust the Senate to raise the ante, and then try the House with a compromise.

Ike listened gravely until Martin had finished, then, looking at Joe, remarked: "I'll leave it up to my general."

Cutter's Comeback. When the bill came up for debate, General Joe's estimate of the situation was about right. Nonetheless, armed with the new weapon of Ike's promise to run, he was able to inspire some remarkably heroic performances. New York's legendary Republican budget-slasher, John Taber, threw off a lifetime habit to ask that the House raise its sights on foreign aid. This year, foghorned Taber, the cuts have gone too deep: Ike should get at least $4 billion. He was seconded by Massachusetts' Dick Wigglesworth, the Republicans' No. 2 man on the Appropriations Committee: "I stand today as I have always stood for essential economy, but I cannot stand for economy at the expense of national security."

The new heroes persuaded few in the ranks. Brooklyn Democrat John Rooney mockingly pointed out that in the 1952 Korean war crisis Taber, Martin, et al. had voted to cut military assistance, and complained, "I don't understand this switching around." Replied New York Republican Ken Keating: "There is one important difference between 1952 and now. We had a different group of advisers advising us then."

Yugoslavia Trouble. Through seven hours of shot, shell and massive irrelevancies the debate boomed on--with each side charging the other with responsibility for cutting the Administration's request in committee. Finally the House voted 284 (124 Republicans, 160 Democrats) to 120 (70 Republicans, 50 Democrats) to give Dwight Eisenhower the bitter $3.6 billion for foreign aid and not a cent more.

At week's end General Joe's strategy began to pay off. The Senate Appropriations Committee, taking up the money bill, voted 13 to 8 (with six Democrats joining Wisconsin's Joe McCarthy and Idaho's Henry Dworshak in opposition) to recommend $4.3 billion in new and carried-over money for the program. Aside from the total sum itself, the big clash was over an amendment by Knowland and New Hampshire's Styles Bridges to cut off military aid to Yugoslavia. The amendment was defeated, but the pair have promised to renew the battle when the bill goes to the balky Senate this week. Predicted Minnesota's Edward Thye wearily: "We're going to have a hard and bitter fight."

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