Senate Committee to Scrutinize Administration’s Proposal to Give Egypt, Israel Atomic Know-how

Sen. Alan Cranston (D., Calif.) said that a Senate subcommittee on which he serves intends to give “close, critical scrutiny” to the administration’s proposal to turn over atomic know how to Egypt and Israel, Cranston, in Los Angeles during the July 4th Congressional recess, released a statement from his Senate office here. He said that the Senate Banking Subcommittee on International Finance, which is headed by Sen. Adlai E. Stevenson III (D., III.), will “dig deeply” into the matter at hearings to be held in Washington July 9 and 12.

Cranston also announced his support of a proposal by Senate members of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy to give Congress veto power over the nuclear aid offer, which President Nixon announced during his trip to Cairo June 14. Cranston said provisions for a Congressional veto already exist in law for nuclear agreements in the military area but not for so-called “peaceful” nuclear agreements such as the Administration proposes for the Middle East.

“We should proceed with the Administration’s Middle East proposals only with the utmost caution and the most rigorous safeguards,” Cranston said. “If the safeguards are not airtight we should not proceed at all.” Cranston said that the International Finance Subcommittee will review the President’s proposals under provisions of the Export Administration Act. That Act, which comes under Senate Banking Committee jurisdiction, gives Congress power to prevent exports of materials which could adversely affect national security, Cranston said.

The transfer of nuclear technology and materials to Egypt could have just such an adverse affect, Cranston warned. He said Administration officials have indicated that the nuclear agreement with Egypt and Israel, which is still in the talking stage, would probably not be ready for signing before August 15.