WHY DOES JOHNSON ALIENATE FULBRIGHT PANEL?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100130013-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 2, 1998
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: June 27, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

JUN 2 7 1966
Approved For Release 2000/05/05: CIA; RD.P75 99
CPYRGHT
t'r nvrnti FR17C'HFY
Why ~oes',Dohu~soa~ Alienate Fuibright P~nel?'
President. Johnson, to, put it the chairman, Sen. J. W. )usually so responsible, should countries and internatiirrei"
,politely, . has permitted Adm.,. Fulbrig'ht, D Ark., . for the not have let their feelings organizations to deter or if
William F. Raborn Jr. to ? overwhoiming i c o m m i t t e o influence them in cutting the necessary to defeat aggres-
resign' as the director -of the" Votes against the. edministre- bill and hedging It with awk- sion . . Fulbright said . P1 Central Intelligence, Agency, ,.. lion's foreign aid bill indicate ward restrictions, but they, the committee was determined
but he elso permitted Raborn,,,' a' widespread ' resentment .; too, are human, and don't like to avoid "any fancy rhetoric"
as his last important act in,,,, against Johnson; as well as a'' to be called "nervous Nellies" that later might be used to'
office, to snub the Scnate,,, growing distrust of his foreign or have their patriotism justify actions in which it did
Foreign Relations Committee. policy, questioned, directly ? or fndi- not concur.
And the President, sup= Why does the. ' President reetly. The final vote of 17 to 2, by
posedly the greatest practical choose to aggravate this Tte plain fact is that John- 'Which the emasculated bill was
politician in anodorn American t son and his secretary of state, ultimately reported out, indi-
history, wonders why that,, . situation; rather than, as +his Dean Rusk, have provoked ? , cates how suspicious this key'
powerful committee has put ;custom, ameliorate it? The A he present hostility. While `committee has become over the.
his foreign aid bill tSrrough a'; ,only answer seems to be that,, the aid bill was still being 1 administration's foreign policy
fearsome end obviously where Viet Naar is concerned,i considered, Raborn.rinf rmed..'not only in Asia but elsewhere.
,unfriendly grilling. , he has lost his political touch,: Fvtbight that the CIA-could Aside from any. personal
It is hard to understand how:.. amd is unable to control his' not confidentially brief MOM- ! animosities, there is a genuine
this master politician, who personal feelings toward those.,bers?of ,his,committee,, as it fear that ,et Nam bas e ire
at ed and d -d and g .opposed his Asian policy. Committee members were.
Senate, who will go to any It is unfortunate that the, ?Armed Services. and Appropri-. frankly appalled at the distor?`
length to appease Sen. Ever- foreign aid bill should end up :' tatiens committees.
.length
i)irkson, R-Ill., the minori- -'being the innocent bystander: , It goes without saying that' tions involved in earmarking
Russell, (nearly $G(10 million in economic!
e leader, ' the leader. bf Relations oontlict. The Committee, which is , the ~I ,a ~~tor, scquld,,,not, aid for tiny Viet,NanY, which is
the Southern r conservatives, ;"composed of some of the mostknave.,brushed, off ,the Foreign more than is scheduled for
- ~
will at the same time give the ''i respected men in the Senate, 'the ,.,Committee,. ,without ,.l whole continents like Africa and
back of his hand to the presti , relented considerably at the'. ' the concurrence or encourage- Latin America.
gious group of " senators who' last minute, so that the bill as rpent, of the President, Nobody ' Many of the senators share',
dominate the Foreign Rela':,. finally reported: out Is not in knoivs".bett'er, than Johnson the views of Gen. No Win, the
tionsCommittee. critical condition, but there Is bow strongly the comm'ittee' Burmese chief of state, about';
The' hostility the. President no doubt that It took a miaub feels it should'share -in:the the unleashing of huge U.S.
has inspired In, that commit-, , 7Clg i surveillance of the CIAO spending in Asian countries like'
tee is by no meanscorifiaedi_ltd' 'i. Pe apa'r'F tl~ao "'senators Rusk invited trouble when his.
he tried to suggest that pre- ?,"This kind of aid," says -No
0
negative approval of adminis- never learn to do for them.-
, }, tration policy in that area, ! selves, They rely more and'
This prompted an amend- more on foreign, experts and
meat of.the bill's policy decd foreign money. In the end, they
laration to say that the "fur- lose control of their country."
`'.nishing of economic, military ., There are a lot of things
or other assistance under this wrong with Burma, but there is
act, sha1 not be construed as,,, no graft or corruption among
,,creating a new commitment the top officials. They. are not
. . to, use armed forces of becoming millionaires, and they
the U.S, for the defense of any are not
iri
f
acqu
ng
ancy mr3-
it foreign country."
f 1r to d- ' tresses or. fancy Swiss bank
Later by
o veto _ _ _
o
f
cvursa,
the committee rl " '? 4Oi -M- >o wu, o
Aped out the'''be .a terrible hardship for the
entire administration} policy United 'States to Impose on