Arms Measure Defeats Truman Administration

Chronicle (Levin), 20 August 1949, Page 5

Arms Measure Defeats Truman Administration

Received Fridav, 8.50 p.m. WASHINGTON, August 18. In a stunning defeat for the Administration the House tonight coufirmed its earlier vote cutting in half the Government 's 1,160,990,000 dollars arms aid programme for the Atlantic Pact countries. The measure still has to go before the Senate. By a vote of 209 to 151 the House adopted an amendment by Representative James Richards (Demoerat, South Carolina) that the European funds be cut 50 per eent. The amendment, which earlier had been approved by a tentative vote of 172 to 137 by the House sitting as a oommittee of tho whole, included a' provision that the remaining half of the money : eould be considered by Congress next year. Mr. Richards and those who supportcd him said the amendment would serve notice on the Europeau nations that arms help would end next June unless they demonstrated their determination to pull together as a team for mutual uefence. The House deeision, and particularly the size of the oppoeition vote against the passage of the complete European arms programme, earne as a surprise to the Democratic leaders. A similar amendment had been defeated in the House Foreign Affairs Committee which had approved the complete Bill. The House rejeeted by'164 to 92 an amendment to authorise 75,000,000 dollars for the anti-Comrnunist areas in the Far East. Some Democrats said the granting of such aid to Nationalist China at present would be tantamount to a declaration of war againBt Cornmunist China.