CONTENTS Church, Hon. Marguerite S., a Representative in Congress from the David, Paul T., senior staff member, the Brookings Institution.. Dawson, Col. Gordon, Department of the Army. Finan, William F., Assistant Director for Administrative Manage- Gaskin, Edward A., president, local 900, Government and Civic Employees Organizing Committee, CIO, Panama Canal Zone_. McCormick, Robert L. L., director of research, Citizens Committee Sanders, Dr. J. T., legislative counsel of the National Grange. Pollock, Dr. James K., chairman, department of political science, Sawyer, Hon. Charles, Secretary of Commerce_ Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by- Gaskin, Edward A., president, local 900. Government and Civic Lanham, Hon. Henderson, a Representative in Congress from the State of Georgia, and chairman, Subcommittee on Federal Relations Bissell, Richard M., Jr., Deputy Administrator, Economic Cooperation Administration, to Hon Henderson Lanham, Eaton, Brig. Gen. Robert E. L., Director, Legislation and Liaison, Department of the Air Force, to Hon. Henderson Henderson, James McI., Administrator, Philippine Alien Property Administration, to Hon. Henderson Lanham, Houser, Rear Adm. H. A., Director, Office of Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of Defense, to Hon. Hen- McCormick, C. J., Acting Secretary, Department of Agri- culture, to Hon. Henderson Lanham, May 22, 1951. McFall, Jack K., Assistant Secretary, Department of State, to Hon. Henderson Lanham, May 14, 1951___ North, Brig. Gen. Thomas, Secretary American Battle Russell, Rear Adm. G. L., Judge Advocate General, De- partment of the Navy, to Hon. Henderson Lanham, Sapp, Carl R., Chief, Division of Legislative Reports, Office Slaughter, Herbert J., Chief, Legislative Division, Office of Steelman, John R., Assistant to the President, The White Waring, Frank A., Consultant, Department of the Interior, A COMMISSION TO STUDY OVERSEAS ACTIVITIES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1951 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, The Subcommittee on Federal Relations With International Organizations met at 10 a. m., Representative Henderson Lanham (chairman), presiding. Mr. LANHAM. The subcommittee will please come to order. While we probably will not have a quorum present this morning, unless there are objections we will proceed with the hearings. Several of the subcommittee members are out of town. Mr. Dawson is sick. We are to begin hearings on identical bills, H. R. 3406 and H. R. 3697, the purpose of the bills being to create a commission to make a study of administration of overseas activities of the Government and to make recommendations to the Congress with respect thereto. One of the bills was introduced by Mrs. Church, the gentlewoman from Illinois, H. R. 3406; and the other, H. R. 3697 was introduced by Mr. Dawson, by request. We had expected to hear first Mrs. Church, but I have a letter from her saying that she will not be able to be here this morning but would like to appear before the subcommittee tomorrow morning; so we will reserve time for her tomorrow. (The bills referred to follow :) [H. R. 3406, 82d Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To create a commission to make a study of the administration of overseas activities of the Government, and to make recommendations to Congress with respect thereto Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby created a commission to be known as the Commission on Overseas Administration (hereinafter called the "Commission"), which shall be composed of four Members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, four Members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker, and four persons in the executive branch of the Government appointed by the President. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made. The members of the Commission shall serve without additional compensation by reason of such membership, but they shall be allowed and paid their necessary travel and subsistence expenses while away from their official station on the business of the Commission. SEC. 2. The Commission shall elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairman from among its members. SEC. 3. Seven members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. 1 SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of the Commission to make a study of the administration of the overseas activities of the Federal Government, with a view to making recommendations to the Congress with respect to means for coordinating and integrating such activities. The Commission shall complete its study and make a report of its findings and recommendations to Congress not later than March 1, 1953. SEC. 5. The Commission is authorized, without regard to the civil-service laws or the Classification Act of 1923, as amended, to employ and fix the compensation of such personnel as it deems necessary to assist it in the performance of its functions. The Commission may also contract for services and employ part-time consultants on a per diem basis. SEC. 6. (a) The Commission, or any member thereof, may, when authorized by a majority of the Commission, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and places, and take such testimony, as the Commission or such member may deem advisable. Any member of the Commission may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before the Commission or before such member. (b) The Commission is authorized to secure directly from any executive department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purpose of this Act; and each such department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, establishment, or instrumentality is authorized and directed to furnish such information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics directly to the Commission, upon request made by the Chairman or Vice Chairman. SEC. 7. The Commission shall cease to exist on April 1, 1953. SEC. 8. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. [H. R. 3697, 82d Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To create a commission to make a study of the administration of overseas activities of the Government, and to make recommendations to Congress with respect thereto Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby created a commission to be known as the Commission on Overseas Administration (hereinafter called the "Commission") which shall be composed of four Members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, four Members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker, and four persons in the executive branch of the Government appointed by the President. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made. The members of the Commission shall serve without additional compensation by reason of such membership, but they shall be allowed and paid their necessary travel and subsistence expenses while away from their official station on the business of the Commission. SEC. 2. The Commission shall elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairman from among its members. SEC. 3. Seven members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of the Commission to make a study of the administration of the overseas activities of the Federal Government, with a view to making recommendations to the Congress with respect to means for coordinating and integrating such activities. The Commission shall complete its study and make a report of its findings and recommendations to Congress not later than March 1, 1953. SEC. 5. The Commission is authorized, without regard to the civil-service laws or the Classification Act of 1923, as amended, to employ and fix the compensation of such personnel as it deems necessary to assist it in the performance of its functions. The Commission may also contract for services and employ part-time consultants on a per diem basis. SEC. 6. (a) The Commission, or any member thereof, may, when authorized by a majority of the Commission, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and places, and take such testimony, as the Commission or such member may deem advisable. Any member of the Commission may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before the Commission or before such member. (b) The Commission is authorized to secure directly from any executive department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purpose of this Act; and each such department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, establishment, or instrumentality is authorized and directed to furnish such information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics directly to the Commission, upon request made by the Chairman or Vice Chairman. SEC. 7. The Commission shall cease to exist on April 1, 1953. SEC. 8. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. STATEMENT OF ROBERT L. L. McCORMICK, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR THE HOOVER REPORT Mr. LANHAM. I am going to call now Mr. Robert L. L. McCormick, research director of the Citizens Committee for the Hoover Report and ask him if he will not take the stand and give his views on the legislation. Mr. McCORMICK. Yes. Mr. Chairman, I have a prepared statement. Mr. LANHAM. Would you like to read your statement, or would you prefer to submit it for the record and supplement it with whatever you care to add? Mr. McCORMICK. I would prefer the latter, to submit it for the record, because it is fairly lengthy and goes into many matters that are a bit heavy for a discussion of this sort. Mr. LANHAM. Without objection the statement will be admitted for the record, and I will ask Mr. McCormick if he will give us a summary of the arguments for the bill. (The statement follows:) STATEMENT BY ROBERT L. L. McCORMICK, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR THE HOOVER REPORT My name is Robert L. L. McCormick. I am director of research for the Citizens Committee for the Hoover Report. The citizens committee appreciates your request for its views on H. R. 3406 and H. R. 3697, identical bills to establish a commission to study overseas activities of the Federal Government. The citizens committee supports this measure. We would, however, like to suggest minor amendments. I. GENERAL COMMENT During the last 10 years, the United States has attained a position of world leadership and world responsibility unparalleled and unprecedented in our history. Our responsibilities, interests, and obligations overseas are major factors in the life of every citizen. Our multibillion overseas programs and sensitive overseas activities require positive commitments in terms of dollars and personnel. This role of the United States in international affairs has rapidly imposed new responsibilities and obligations on departments and agencies. During the last 5 years, our expenditures for overseas aid alone have run somewhere over $6 billion a year, exclusive of domestic and military expenditures. There is every reason to believe that these responsibilities and expenditures will continue and perhaps increase in the coming years. In the past, we have met the continuous series of overseas crises and emergencies through a series of short-run devices, dictated by immediate need. UNRRA, the Truman doctrine, point 4, all cover portions of the problem. There has not been, nor is there now, any complete means of coordination for the various departments, bureaus, and agencies operating overseas. Over 30 separate branches of Government are in this field. They have been operating in an era of continuing international crisis. No broad congressionally sponsored study or program for coordination has been made. It is necessary |
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