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Washington D. C. is Viewed
By Tonr Senator,
A. Wilis Robertson
US. DEFENSE NEEDS SHOULD BE PUT FIRST This week our Senate Appropriations Committee should complete action on one and perhaps two of the most controversial appropriation bills—the Defense Department and the Mutual Security Administration. ! The House already has passed the Defense Department bill, following the recommendation of President Eisenhower to cut Air Force funds $5 billion below the amount proposed in the Truman budget but reducing the overall total for the bill $1,286 million below what President Eisenhower said was the essential minimum. * The President sent a letter to House leaders assuring them that the revised budget did not involve elimination of any combat planes but this was contradicted by a speech made in the Senate on July 6 by former Sec. of the Air Force Symington who said there would be a cut of 200 in the number of our latest and best bomber, the B-47. The Mutual Security authorization bil passed by the House would allow approximately $5 billion to be appropriated in the 1954 fiscal year and the Senate increased this amount to $5.3 billion. President Eisenhower had recommended $5,470 million. The bill authorized the President to withold one billion dollars of the funds until the nations of Western Europe carried out their promises to organize a defense community with a unified military' force.
I have been concerned by the fact that under the proposed Mutual Security program we would provide nearly (three quarters of a billion dollars to build up the French Air Force while at the same time we would, according to the statement of Senator Symington, be making a substantial cut in the combat strength of our own Air Force. This seemed questionable procedure in view of the fact that the new Premier of France does not. have a working majority in the Parliament and the Communist Party is the strongest single party in France. The political situation in Italy also raises doubts as to whether or not that nation will fulfill the promises made in May of 1951 to join the Europearf Defense Community
The Defense and Mutual Security appropriations both are parts of the same overall defense plan and must
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