ALLEN-SCOTT REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200920126-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 5, 1999
• Sequence Number: 126
• Publication Date: April 24, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

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By R 3::E T S. ALLEN znd PAUL
Party Leaders in Co ,gress V/er President
As the President's backers see it, Fulhright's eight separate
bills would open the way for the opposition to rip the aid program
to bits piecemeal. Morse makes the same argument-in reverse.
He contends an across-the-board slash of an omnibus bill would
be simpler and fairer than undertaking to whittle down the budget
piecemeal.
To Morse, "Fulbright's separate bills are a "trick" to circum- :
vent a steep foreign aid cut, while the President's supporters are
convinced the piecemeal "gimmick" would facilitate heavy ax
i orei in Aid ProCrem h aces Herd wielding.
WASHINGTON-President Johnson .is getting more PRESIDENT'S DILEMMA
doleful news on his already trouble-plagued $3.4 billion So far, the President,,has warily skirted this thorny hassle. He
foreign aid program. hasn't said no and he hasn't said yes.
Democratic congressional leaders are warning the - As chairman of the, Senate Foreign Relations Committee -.
President that the House and Senate are certain to lock which among other functions passes on all treaties-Fulbright is
horns in a damaging stalemate if Sen. J. William Ful-- in a strategic position to be helpful or hostile In this all-important
bright, D-Ark., chairman of the Forei-gn 11elations Corn- field. Both the,, White House and the State Deparment speak softly.
m.ittee, persists with his strategem to split the aid measure and tread gently in dealing with him.
into eight separate bills. Also, he is an old congressional friend of the President and as
The leaders want the President to bluntly tell his old Senate such can't be pushed around. Strongly as his position may be ?
friend Fulbright to shelve his "legislative gimmick," as they disliked, the utmost circumspection has to be exercised in relations ;
caustically refer to it, or foreign aid may be in even hotter water wit! him.
than it already is-which is plenty! This touchy dilemna was graphically dernonstxated by Foreign
Ominously illustrative of the powerful opposition w!uch'ul - i Aid Administrator David Bell at a meeting of the Foreign Re-
"gimmicks" faces in the House are the following instances ; lations' committee.
bright's
being cited to the President: Senator Morse, who has no Inhibitions about Fulbright, tried to
Rep. Thomas Morgan, D-Pa., chairman of the House For:;i;;vn get a categoric answer from Bell on the administration's policy on
;.Affairs Committee,. is dead set against Fuibright's scl:, - end the eight-bill scheme. Morse got nowhere, as follows:
says his committee has no intention of ccnsidering it. Morgan "What is your position on the handling of the foreign aid budget
is backed on this stand by an overwhelming majority of Damecrats section by section in separate bills?" asked Morse. Or do you think
and Republicans on his committee. this should be done in an omnibus bill?"
Equally strongly opposed is Rep. Otto Passman, D-La., chair "We regard this essentially as a matter for Congress to de-
man of the appropriations subcommittee in charge, of the forei^n tide," ducked Bell. "We are interested in the contents of the legis-
aid budget. Long a militant critic of large-scale foreign aid lation, the amount authorized, for what purpose, and other provis-
spending, Passman's hostility to Fulbright's plan is heartily sup- fens. W ether that is enacted in one bill or several is not a matter
ported by Rep. Clarence Cannon, D-Mo., veteran chairman of the on which we regard ourselves as having any particular reason to
full Appropriations Committee: make a recommendation one way or the other.
Against, this high-powered array of vehement dissent, Full-
bright's eight-bill "gimmick" hasn't a ghost of a chance in the
House.
Even in the Arkansan's own committee it's stirring up stormy
discord. ?
Every attem_;t Fulbright has made to maneuver his bills
through the committee (by means of ,wo:sy votes) has ham
"thwarted by Sen..Wayne Morse, D-Ore., aggressive leader of '210
drive to drastically slash the multi-billion dollar foreign aid
budget.
Greatly aiding Morse in this backstage fight is the prolonged
Senate debate over the civil rights bill which severely limits
committee meetings. No committee sessions can be held while the
.Senate is sitting, and as it convenes early and continues late
,into the night, committee proceedings are cut to a bare minimum,
President's $3.4 billion aid budget. They are as strongly against
cutting it as the scrappy Oregonian is for doing that. Yet both
sides basically have the same reason for opposing Fulbright-
STATINTL
RDP75-00'4W}Qt9920126-3
APR 2 4 1964 In spearheading the inner committee challenge of Fuibright's
"legislative gimmick,!' Morse finds himself in unexpected company.
Lined up with him are committeemen who are supporting the
ADVICE CONFLICTS
"The President had conflicting advice from members of the
House and Senate, and the President recommended at omnibus
program. I see no reason why any of us should make a recommen-
dation one way or the other on that."
You are not concerned then," snapped Morse; "about the fact
that over on the House side there is very strong opposition to this
procedural approach, and that you may very well end up with &
considerable conflict between the House and Senate-if-we."can t bet
together on a common method of handling the bill?"
"We regard the passage of the legislation as essentially a mat-
ter for Congress," Bell persisted. "We would abviously be deeply
concerned if there were a long delay resulting'from any cause."
"I share that concern," reclared Morse. "But j want to suggest
that you are headed for another unnecessary stalemate because of
the different approach procedurally that is being followed by the
two chambers."
But with Fulbright listening intently to this exchange, Bell
firmly declined to express an opihion. Clearly he was not risking
incurring Fulbghts-ire:~ a----f"
Sanitized Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200920126-3