Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Foreign Economic Policy; Foreign Information Program, Volume IX

186. Diary Entry by the President’s Press Secretary (Hagerty)¹

Washington, March 22, 1955.

In at 8:15.

Legislative leaders meeting.² Those in attendance were:

The Vice President, Senators Knowland, Millikin, Bridges, Saltonstall, Carlson; Congressmen Martin, Halleck, Arends, Allen, Rees.³

The first item on the agenda was the USIA appropriations. The President opened the discussion by saying that the appropriations for the USIA were very close to his heart and that actually they were about half the size of the appropriations in 1952 when they amounted to $150 million. He said last year he had asked for $88 million and had gotten $77 million. He said that Streibert, the new head of USIA, was an excellent man, dedicated to his job and that under his administration the employees of the USIA had been cut from some 14,200 to 10,000 with the result that the organization had been streamlined and was improving day by day. He said that the Soviets spent about $2 billion a year on their propaganda and that he thought it was ridiculous for us to spend only a small amount. “The Russians are spending more money in Germany for their propaganda than we are spending in the entire world. We are trying to convince the people in the world that we are working for peace and not trying to blow them to kingdom come with our atom and thermonuclear bombs. We are doing a good job on this and as a matter of fact, we have run the Russians out of two trade fairs. But we need some more money and it must go back to the $90 million level. The House has already cut it down by $11 million and I hope that you people in the Senate will restore it.”

Senator Knowland interrupted to ask if the $2 billion figure reported by the President included the cost to the Soviets of running their newspapers and radio stations. The President said that it did—that this figure was the cost of everything the Soviet was spending on propaganda. Halleck said he was sure everyone in both Houses was vitally interested in this matter but the trouble seemed to be that Streibert and his people had not presented their case too well.⁴ “He is apparently afraid to speak out frankly, but we will see what we can do to get that money back.” The President said he would talk to Streibert and see that the leaders got a fuller presentation.

[Here follows discussion of other subjects.]

1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Hagerty Papers, Diary Series.
2. Another version of this meeting is in a memorandum from L.A. Minnich, Jr., Assistant White House Staff Secretary, to Director of the Bureau of the Budget Hughes. (Ibid., Whitman File, Legislative Meetings, 1955)
3. Senators William F. Knowland (R–Calif.), Eugene D. Millikin (R–Colo.), Styles Bridges (R–N.H.), Leverett Saltonstall (R–Mass.), and Frank Carlson (R–Kans.). Representatives Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (R–Mass.), Charles A. Halleck (R–Ind.), Leslie C. Arends (R–Ill), Leo Allen (R–Ill.), and Edward H. Rees (R–Kans.).
4. Representative Halleck’s remarks referred to hearings March 3–10 on the fiscal year 1956 USIA budget. (U.S. House of Representatives, 84th Cong., 1st sess., 1955, Departments of State and Justice, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1956. Hearings before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations (Washington 1955))