Majority of Senate Committee Non-committal on Severing Aid to Egypt

Seven members of the 27 on the Senate Appropriations Committee either “favor” the vote in the House of Representatives to ban further United States surplus food shipments to Egypt, or are “inclined” to back the House on that proposal, a poll conducted by the Associated Press revealed here this weekend. The House voted 204-177, last week, to halt surplus food aid to the Nasser regime, in spite of pressures by the State Department against such a proposal.

The poll of the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which has to consider the House resolution, showed that those who favor the House action outright are Senators A. Willis Robertson, Virginia Democrat; Norris Cotton, of New Hampsire; Gordon Allotte, of Colorado; and Roran L. Kruska of Nebraska–all Republicans Listed as “inclined” to back the lower house on this issue are Senators Lister Hill, of Alabama, Robert C. Byrd, of West Virginia; and Clifford Case, of New Jersey. The first two in this group are Democrats, while Sen. Case is a Republican.

According to the poll, two Senators are, thus far, ready to say publicly they will oppose the House move. They are A. S. Mike Monroney, of Oklahoma and Gale W. McGee, of Wyoming. Both are Democrats. Fifteen of the 26 committee members reached, the Associated Press reported, have, thus far, not disclosed their positions. Meanwhile, Sen. Paul H. Douglas, Illinois Democrat, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, served notice that he would support the House amendment calling for severance of food aid to Egypt.

(From Cairo, it was reported today that Egyptian authorities are making a distinct effort to tone down criticism of the United States, in the wake of the House vote for ending food shipments. The reports stated that Nasser wants to avoid “embarrassing” the Johnson Administration, in the hope that the House amendment may be negated by the Senate.)