219. Editorial Note
In May and June, the White House and the Department of State closely followed congressional action on the administration’s Mutual Security appropriations request. The House Foreign Affairs Committee reported the authorizing legislation, H.R. 12181, on May 7. H.R. 12181 cut $339 million from President Eisenhower’s Mutual Security budget, including $100 million from the President’s Contingency Fund; for text, see U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Selected Executive Session Hearings of the Committee, 1957–1960, volume XIX, Mutual Security Program, Part 6 (Washington, 1987), pages 789–820. At the May 13 legislative leadership meeting, Under Secretary of State Dillon stated he hoped the Senate would authorize the full $200 million requested for the Contingency Fund; “it might then be possible to salvage $150 million in Conference.” In response to comments on the inadvisability of separating military and economic assistance appropriations, Eisenhower “emphasized that both programs were devoted to a single purpose: the security of the United States.” (Supplementary Notes; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries)
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 12181 and sent it to the Senate May 14. Senators Wiley and Smith reported at the May 19 legislative leadership meeting that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was inclined to restore the full amount of the President’s request to the Mutual Security Program. Senator Knowland, however, believed the situation in the full Senate was less favorable. The President reiterated his belief that cuts in the defense budget were preferable to reductions in Mutual Security. (ibid.) On May 23, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to restore $110 million to the bill, still $229 million less than the President’s original request. The Committee also approved amending the Mutual Defense Control Act of 1951 (Battle Act) to permit aid to any country except the Soviet Union, [Page 419] People’s Republic of China, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. (S. Rept. 1627, Eighty-fifth Congress, Second Session, May 26, 1958)
The need for maximum Senate support for the Mutual Security Program was restated at the June 5 legislative leadership meeting. It was also noted that the administration favored increased flexibility in administering the program, but felt amendment of the Battle Act should be handled in separate legislation. (Letter from Minnich to Stans; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries) That day the Senate deleted the Battle Act amendment from the Mutual Security bill. The following day, it adopted the bill with some amendments from the floor; total funding for the program remained at the level the Foreign Relations Committee had recommended, however.
Senate and House conferees reported a compromise version of H.R. 12181 on June 26, providing $3,031,400,000, $266.5 million less than the President’s request. (H. Rept. 2038; for text, see U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Selected Executive Session Hearings of the Committee, 1957–1960, volume XIX, pages 946–977) That day, Jack Z. Anderson, Eisenhower’s Administrative Assistant, briefed the President on the progress of the Mutual Security appropriation legislation, H.R. 13192. At 11:35 a.m., he gave Eisenhower a memorandum outlining cuts the House Appropriations Committee had made in the bill (Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, OF 133–L, 1958), and noted the Department of State had suggested the President telephone Congressman Martin and Speaker of the House Rayburn to request their support for restoring the funds. (Memorandum from Anderson to Whitman; ibid., Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries) Eisenhower informed Anderson at 12:13 p.m. that both Martin and Rayburn “had agreed to go to bat” on H.R. 13192. The President also recommended that Anderson call Rayburn and discussed having the Secretary of the Treasury do so as well. (Memorandum from Anderson to Whitman; ibid.)
Anderson reported at 8:27 the following morning that Rayburn had been unsuccessful in his attempts to change members’ minds, but was continuing his efforts. (Memorandum from Anderson to Whitman; ibid.) Later that day, the House Appropriations Committee reported H.R. 13192, having cut $872 million from the President’s request. (H. Rept. 2048, Eighty-fifth Congress, Second Session) Eisenhower released a statement emphasizing the importance of these funds and describing himself “deeply disturbed” by the Committee’s action. “It is my hope and belief,” he concluded, “that this action of the House Appropriations Committee will not be the final action of the House of Representatives or of the Congress.” For text, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1958, page 508.
[Page 420]On June 27, the House and Senate also passed the compromise authorization legislation. H.R. 12181 thus became P.L. 85–477, the Mutual Security Act of 1958, which Eisenhower signed June 30. For text, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pages 1566–1583.