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That is true in the clerks' offices through the country and with the probation officers. It is in part that and in part a failure of all of us to be alert to the fact that we were not providing increase in the facilities of the courts commensurate with the increase of judges over the years, not this last increase but over the long pull.

Senator SALTONSTALL. And the increase in population.

Judge MARIS. Yes, and the business, and everything connected with it.

Mr. CHANDLER. I should like to echo that the reason for the items that have been presented before this committee is a conviction that the service to the courts for the efficiency of their work should be improved. In the case of additional probation personnel and in the case of additional clerks, it is an effort to respond to what we believe is a fair standard of service to the courts as we have not been able to do in the past.

Senator KILGORE. The committee will stand adjourned until next Wednesday morning, at 10 o'clock, when we take up the United States Information Agency.

(Whereupon, at 12:20 p. m., Friday, May 6, 1955, a recess was taken until Tuesday, May 10, 1955, at 10 a. m.)

DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND JUSTICE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS, 1956

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1955

UNITED STATES SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10:15 a. m., pursuant to recess, in room F-37, the Capitol, Hon. Harley M. Kilgore (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Senators Kilgore, Ellender, Hayden, Green, Mansfield, Saltonstall, Mundt, and Smith.

UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

STATEMENTS OF THEODORE C. STREIBERT, DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY; ANDREW H. BERDING, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR POLICY AND PROGRAMS; RICHARD F. COOK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION; CLIVE L. DuVAL, 2d, GENERAL COUNSEL; BEN POSNER, BUDGET OFFICER; FRANKLIN L. BURDETTE, CHIEF, INFORMATION CENTER SERVICE; HENRY LOOMIS, CHIEF, OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND INTELLIGENCE

RESTORATION REQUESTED

Senator KILGORE. The committee will come to order.

This morning the committee will consider the budget estimates of the United States Information Agency and the request for restoration of the $8 million House cut from the estimate of $88,500,000.

AMENDMENTS REQUESTED AND JUSTIFICATION

Before you commence, Mr. Streibert, the record will show at this point your letter on amendments requested and supporting justifications.

(The information referred to follows:)

859

Hon. HARLEY M. KILGORE,

UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY,

Washington, May 5, 1955.

Chairman, Subcommittee of the Departments of State and Justice, the Judiciary, and related Agencies, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Washington, D. C.

DEAR SENATOR KILGORE: It is respectfully requested that your committee make certain amendments in title IV of H. R. 5502, Departments of State and Justice, the Judiciary, and related agencies Appropriation Act, 1956.

The House allowance for United States Information Agency activities in this bill is $80,500,000-$8 million, or almost 10 percent, less than the $88,500,000 requested in the President's budget. The Agency asks that this full reduction be restored.

The fiscal year 1956 budget request for the United States Information Agency anticipates a world situation in which it will be more necessary than ever for United States policies and actions to be understood oversees, and for the United States to have a strong information program capable of counteracting the massive and well-entrenched hostile Communist propaganda throughout the world.

The President's budget of $88.5 million is approximately the same as the $89 million request for fiscal year 1955. Congress reduced this 1955 request to $77.1 million, or to about the fiscal year 1954 level, excluding nonrecurring liquidation costs. The 1954 appropriation, in turn, represented a severe 37 percent cut from funds available to the information program in fiscal year 1953. At the time, it was understood that the reduction was made to give the new United States Information Agency an opportunity to reorganize, review its operations and personnel, and sharpen its objectives. It was anticipated that if the demands on the Agency's operations required it, adequate resources would be furnished.

The Agency has had over 18 months' experience at the level of operation to which it was cut in fiscal year 1954. Its objectives have been concentrated, beginning with a statement of its worldwide mission adopted by the President as recommended by the National Security Council in late 1953. The reorganization of the new Agency has been successfully completed. We believe operations have now been stabilized and organization and operating policies fully established. In adjusting to its limited resources, the Agency has made substantial shifts in its use of these resources, so as to concentrate its efforts in countries and areas with highest priorities. Despite these shifts, the total demands on the Agency cannot be adequately met without the increased budget requested for fiscal year 1956.

The attached amendment requesting restoration of funds is supported by a table showing how the House reduction would be likely to be distributed among major Agency activities. It is followed by detailed explanations of the effects of the reduction on each activity. Requested amendments in the language of the bill (by page and line), and justifications in support of each, are detailed in the statement attached hereto.

In addition to these specific requests, the Agency wishes to call the attention of the committee to the fact that the report of the House Appropriations Committee contains specific recommendations which, if forced upon the Agency, would severely limit for the first time the Director's operating authority over his program. While these recommendations do not have the status of legal limitations on the expenditure by the Agency of appropriated funds, the effect would be that the Agency would have to give them appropriate consideration. One of these recommendations is that no funds be used for a nonprofit book corporation, for which $350,000 was requested. This ignores the fact that this corporation has been most successful in promoting the publication and distribution of unattributed American materials in selected countries--a program trend which the House committee specifically recommends in its report.

With respect to motion pictures, the House report recommends a reduction of almost $1.5 million in the funds requested for the Motion Picture Service. The amount remaining-$3.0 million-is a cut from the fiscal year 1955 allocation to this Service. The 1956 Motion Picture Service budget request represents the minimum requirements for carrying out a more specialized program in the critical areas where this medium is essential to the success of individual country programs. The amount specified in the House committee report would make it impossible to carry out such a plan, and would in effect require a curtailment in the level of servicing of the Agency's film effort as conducted this fiscal year.

The committee report disallows a requested increase for the Office of Private Cooperation, which is responsible for securing cooperation from private groups

and organizations in the job of telling America's story abroad. Since every dollar spent in these activities produces a manifold return in terms of private efforts to accomplish Agency objectives, this seems a poor economy.

Another House Appropriations Committee recommendation would eliminate an increase requested for the new Office of Research and Intelligence. This unit was created after an intensive survey by the CIA. It is the only United States Government facility which specializes in analysis of the great volume of Communist propaganda output. The increase requested will permit this unit to carry on for the full year of fiscal 1956 the scale of research activity begun in fiscal year 1955.

Still another recommendation would require a one-third reduction in the limited funds for the Office of General Counsel, which has responsibility for all Agency legal functions as well as for servicing requests of various kinds from Members of Congress. This recommendation would require a serious reduction in the legal staff and would eliminate the staff to service Congress.

We believe these recommendations would impair the ability of the Director to carry out his responsibilities. Experience to date proves that changing demands on the Agency require flexibility in the allocation of funds to the various activities of the Agency. Need for such flexibility is pointed out in the June 15, 1953, report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (the Subcommittee on Overseas Information Programs) which stated that the Director of the Agency "should also be given as much flexibility as feasible to reallocate funds during a fiscal year if shifting circumstances make changes desirable."

I would appreciate the opportunity to appear before your committee to discuss our appropriation request.

Sincerely yours,

THEODORE C. STREIBERT,

Director.

TITLE IV. UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

Estimate, 1956_

Appropriation Act, 1955 1

House allowance, 1956 (same as committee recommendation)

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1 Includes transfer of $3,200,000 from "International Information Activities, U. S. Information Agency.'' Excludes no-year funds for radio construction and reimbursements from other accounts.

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The Agency requests the following amendments:

(1) Page 35, line 12, strike out: "$80,500,000" and insert "$88,500,000”.

(2) Page 35, line 15, strike out "$35,000" and insert "$150,000".

Page 35, line 15, strike out "representation" and insert "allowances".

Page 35, line 16, after the word "abroad" insert "as authorized by section 901 (3) of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 U. S. C. 1131)". (3) Page 33, line 18, after the words "United States" insert "(and their dependents)".

(4) Page 34, line 10, strike out "caps" and insert "uniforms”.

(5) Page 35, line 10, after the word "abroad:" insert "travel expenses for employees attending official international conferences, without regard to the Standardized Government Travel Regulations and to the rates of per diem allowance in lieu of subsistence expenses under the Travel Expense Act of 1949, but at rates not in excess of comparable allowances approved for such conferences by the Secretary of State;".

(6) Page 35, line 12, after the word "shall" insert ", if possible,".

UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

Comparative summary of permanent positions and appropriation, fiscal years 1954-55, and estimates and House allowance for fiscal year 1956

salaries and expenses

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