The Senate and the House today received bills calling for the United States to grant $150,000,000 in financial aid to the Government of Israel. The Senate measures was introduced jointly by Senators Paul A. Douglas, Democrat of Illinois, and Robert A. Taft, Republican of Ohio. The House measure was submitted by Majority Leader John W. McCormack of Massachusetts, and it is expected that the House will receive companion legislation from Minority Leader John W. Martin, also of Massachusetts.
After introducing their bill, Senators Douglas and Taft issued a joint statement declaring that the “menace of new aggressions by Communist tyranny in Iran or elsewhere in the Near East is great” and that “Israel is a bulwark in that area of world democracy.” The joint statement said: “The economic assistance to strengthen free nations which since World War II has been such a significant part of our foreign policy should, in our opinion, now be extended to Israel. We believe that this can and must be done within the overall limits set in the budget by President Truman for foreign aid.”
The Senators expressed hope that the bill will receive early study and favorable action. They pointed out that Israel “probably has the strongest army in the Near East, aside from Turkey,” and emphasized the fact that “while Israel is scarcely three years old as a modern state, its achievements have already been historic.”
The Senators noted that despite heroic efforts of Israel’s own people, generous gifts of others, and a substantial loan from the Export-Import Bank, there is a wide gap in the availability of consumer goods in the Jewish state. “This has not only necessitated a serious reduction in standards of living, but also threatens a disastrous inflation,” they declared.
HOUSE LEADER CALLS ISRAEL “DEPENDABLE ALLY” OF U.S.
Rep. McCormack said that he has watched with “deep interest” the development of the state of Israel from its inception. “It is gratifying to note its progress as a true democratic outpost in the Near East,” he stated, adding that he believes “the time has come to regard Israel as a truly democratic nation and as a dependable ally of the United States.”
The economic burden of Israel in receiving hundreds of thousands of displaced persons is so overwhelming that it must invite the sympathy and co-operation of all liberty-loving peoples everywhere and especially in the United States, Rep. McCormack said. “In the light of the present struggle between the East and the West it is in the interest of the security of the United States to strengthen Israel situated as it is at the crossroads of three continents,” he pointed out. “This measure, calling for granting of financial aid to Israel is, therefore, in the interests of the general welfare of the United States and it is in consonance with the principles of decency and humanity.”
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