CIVIL RIGHTS SMOKE SCREEN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200920131-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 14, 2003
• Sequence Number: 131
• Publication Date: April 20, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2003/12/02 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200920131-7
NOIZTA R9
VIRGI A SUN
APR 2 0 1964
Glen-Scott Report
Civil Rights
AND PAUL SCOTT
Smoke Screen
By ROBERT S. ALLEN
The historic Senate struggle
over the sweeping civil rights bill
-Is taking a singular turn. -
Whether by deliberate design or
fortuitous coincidence, the pro-
tracted battle over civil rights is
providing a, very effective smoke-
screen for a wily : plan to slip
President Johnson's controversial
$3.4 billion foreign program
tions committee in piecemeal titres. when I was on hand, and there,
form. The , opposition emphatically are many things I want to asic,
The first effort to do t'ha't disputes this, holding that for- him about. I have 'many ques
was stopped dead in its tracks. eign aid must be considered as ~, tions, Mr. Chairman, a great
,But the last has not been heard
of this backstage scheme. Pt's
stilt very much alive and kick-
ing, There are significant indi-
cations it, has high-level admin-
istration backing..
Two other dramatic aspects
of this eventful foreign aid fray,
are;
The rival leaders are Sen.
' ators J. William Fulbright, D. last week. . the daily debate on civil rights,
Ark., die - hard foe of civil
rights legislation who is going
to exceptional lengths to win ap-
proval, of the President's multi-
billion dollar foreign aid propos-
al, and Wayne Morse, D. -Ore.,
veteran champion of civil rights
sx ho is rhilitantly demanding
drastic pruning of large scale
fcreign a'd spending, particular-
ly military,
To "'grease the skids" to
ease the President's huge for-
eign aid . authorization bill
through the Foreign Relations
Committee with a minimum of
opposition and public attention,
Fulbright has resorted to be
ingenious strategem of splitting
that legislation into eight sep-
erate measures (S.2659 to S.2666)
covering the major provisions
(titles) of _tJte.. President's bill.
po
n
. any point is that as a
Mr. Allen member of this committee
I in
,
Fuibright's justification for silt on further consideration of
this artful maneuver is that these bills. For one thing, I
there is little or no opposition want to hear Secretary Rusk.
to some of -these provisions and, I want him to come before
therefore, they should be acted frils committee and discuss the
upon separately. Otherwise, he hole question of foreign aid
contends, an across-the-board in full detail."
slash of the foreign aid budget --secretary Rusk has been
as Congress has voted the last ' here," contended Fullbright.
a whole to prevent Congress many questions that will take
I, from being lulled into voting hours 'to consider and discuss,
piecemeal appropriations 'that in Before there is any voting on
the end amount to what was, the foreign aid issue, I must
''origineily contemplated. Insist that Secretary Rusk and
Senator Fulbright's first move' tAher important witnesses be
to slip several of his piecemeal summoned for full considera-
bilis 'through the Foreign Relat-' tion of what we are voting on."
unptiblieized closed-door meeting With the Senate about to begin
were present; Fulbright had a to bow to Morse. Ful'briglit had
number of proxies in his pocket; the i-:i'oxies, but Morse had the
and the stage appeared all set rules in his favor and he won
for his pulling off a neat coup. the round.
But one of the few committee It was a TKO, but it stopped
men p; esent was Senator Morse, Fulbright.
s
c~
and he balked. Outwardly the White Hou
has no direct connection with
With characteristic bluntness, Fulbrigiht's ingenious strata-
'the scrappy Oregonian not only gem of splitting the President's;
derailed Ful.bright's plan, but $3..4 billion foreign aid program,
served notice he was going to into eight separate bills. But
do his utmost to block the significantly Foreign Aid Diu
whole piecemeal strategem. ? rector David Bell is in close
When Fulbright suavely Pro- touch with Fulbright and coil-I'
posed voting on two of the least- Ears frequently with him. Also, '
controversial 'piecemeal ? meas-.I B,II is known to strongly favor:
ures, indicating he had' enough Fulbright's plan . AAlnlost
proxies for a majority, . Morse twath'.rds of the $2.5 billion in
instantly called a ~hal't by quiet- economic foreign aid Congress
ly announcing, "Mr. Chairman, . voted for the current fiscal
there will be no vote on 'these ' Year, ending July 1, is still
bills this morning." unspent and unob'ligatea.,
"This executive `session was
called for that purpose," rer
plied Fulbright. "All members
of the , committee have been
polled, and the clerk has their
proxies. Everything is proper'
and in orc>,br."
`"I am quite- sure of that,"
said Morse, "but that's not my
i
t
Approved For Release 2003/12/02 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200920131-7