March 28, 1949
BIG FOUR DISCUSSION ON LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
This morning as arranged, I met with the President, Vice President, Senator Lucas and Majority Leader McCormack. Speaker Rayburn was absent.
The following matters were discussed:
(1) Approximate Time of Senate Action on Atlantic Pact
The Senate is planning to take up some appropriation bills, the Trade Agreements Act, the Housing Act, and then the repeal of the Taft-Hartley law. It is estimated that the last of these will take approximately three weeks. The whole calendar may take longer than is expected, and one or two other matters may come into it. It is not thought that the Senate would be ready to take up the Pact on the floor before the middle of May, and perhaps later.
It is also contemplated that the hearings on the Pact may be extensive. There is some discussion about permitting such Senators as wish to participate to sit with the Committee and produce witnesses. This will be a time-consuming procedure. Both Committee procedure and the Senate calendar therefore look as though it will be well into, and possibly late in May before the Pact is reached.
(2) Committee Reference for the ITO Bill
It was the President's opinion, concurred in by all present, that the ITO matter should go before the Congress in the form of two bills, one authorizing US participation in ITO and the other providing for the necessary changes in US domestic legislation.
It was also the consensus of opinion that the first of these bills should be referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The second bill would probably go to the Ways and Means Committee and the Finance Committee. Senator Lucas was quite clear that the ITO Participation Bill could not be reported out of the Finance Committee.
Mr. McCormack and the Vice President requested the drafts of both bills be prepared and that they be taken up with the Speaker and Mr. McCormack and with the Vice President since the form of the bill may affect the question of reference. I thought that this could be done by Wednesday or Thursday when the Speaker would be back in town.
The above contemplates two separate meetings and not one joint meeting.
Although Mr. McCormack suggested that I meet with the Speaker and him, I hope that Mr. Gross can handle the matter from here on.
(3) Reference of the Arms Assistance Bill
It was the opinion of the group that the armed services committees of both Houses would probably demand the reference of this bill and that each of these committees could handle the matter satisfactorily. It was their view that if these committees desired the reference, it would be better to refer to them rather than have the matter start out with a committee controversy.
Here again the legislation should be drafted and the matter should be discussed with the Speaker and Mr. McCormack on one occasion, and with the Vice President on another.
Dean Acheson
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