A Joint appeal by the Secretaries of State and Defense to Rep. Seymour Halpern, New York Republican, to forego any “restrictive amendment” to the Foreign Aid bill that might interfere with assistance to the Arab states was rejected today by Rep. Halpern.
Timed to coincide with the opening today of House floor debate on the Foreign Aid bill, Secretaries Dean Rusk and Robert S. McNamara wrote to Rep. Halpern, co-sponsor of the Keating-Halpern amendment, that “a number of restrictive amendments have been proposed to cut off or drastically aid to some countries or organizations whose actions disturb us.”
The two Secretaries said they believed such amendments stemmed from “an inadequate appraisal of the long-term objectives of U. S. foreign and military policy. Attempts to place the conduct of our foreign policy under rigid legislative restrictions will prevent us from acting in support of American interests in a rapidly changing international scene. We strongly urge your support of this bill without further restriction or reduction.”
Rep. Halpern replied to Rusk and McNamara that it was inconceivable to him that America’s objectives “could countenance continued aid to a nation like the United Arab Republic, which is pursuing policies negating and undermining our professed long-term objectives.” He referred to “the aggressive role of the UAR against neighboring states, her acquisition of Soviet weapons systems and training of Egyptian military personnel in the Soviet bloc, her proliferation of the rocket race, and other actions contrary to the cause of peace and the broad goals of United States foreign policies, as I understand them.”
Rep. Halpern stated that “my legislative responsibilities are such that I cannot refrain from support of such amendments that sincerely reflect my own thinking and the views of a large section of the American public.” He stressed that the taxpayer “pays the bill for these Foreign Aid programs and I, as a member of Congress, can do no less than take note of the solid thinking that arises among our people.”
Assuring the Secretaries of his support of the “broad goals” of the foreign assistance program, Rep. Halpern added: “I am sure that you will understand my inability to comply with your request that I refrain from backing amendments that I believe to be vital to the national security and true interests of the United States.”
It was apparent that the Secretaries referred not only to amendments of the Keating-Halpern type, which deprive recipients of aid if they divert their own resources to aggressive Soviet military build-ups against other beneficiaries, but also to anti-bias amendments and similar measures.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
