1
47.02.14B(433 w)
TO DEAN G. ACHESONFebruary 14, 1947
Washington, DC
Mr. Acheson:Senator Vandenberg formally questioned me regarding Mr. John Carter Vincent in relation to Vincent’s attitude regarding the insistence in our Chinese policy that the Communists be taken into the Government. I think the comments I made were sufficient to clear any problem of his confirmation.
Senator Vandenberg stated he was in complete and vigorous agreement with me in my comments regarding the tragedy of the budget cut for the feeding of the peoples of the American occupied area. There was a considerable discussion regarding this.
During the latter part of my hearing I was called upon to make rather lengthy statements regarding the state of our national defense and military training. Several members of the Committee took aggressive attitudes parallel with mine. I was very frank in criticizing the present situation of the Army, particularly as to the terms under which the Army must be raised and the tremendous sums that must be paid, and the limitation of the use of the troops. At the same time, I paralleled this with the emphatic statement that as I saw it military training was the only feasible solution, aside from its other advantages.
I spoke to you regarding the other matters which I discussed with Senator Vandenberg privately.
At the Cabinet meeting this morning I left during the discussion of the motion to be taken on a radio from our Military Attaché in Rumania regarding a starving population. He recommended, I believe, that the Army in Europe immediately make available certain rations to save the situation. The discussion in the Cabinet was whether or not the Army could do this. Mr. Anderson for Agriculture was leading the discussion endeavoring to have the issue put on solid grounds. Just what happened after I left I do not know, but the State Department may be called into it in connection with the meeting of some committee, of which I believe I am the head, and in my absence you will have to act.1
NA/RG 59 (Central Decimal File, 840.50 Recovery/2–1447)
1. Clinton P. Anderson, former congressman from New Mexico, had been secretary of agriculture since June 30, 1945. On February 15 the Cabinet Committee on War Food Problems held a meeting concerning emergency relief for Moldavia. Two days later President Truman announced that he had asked the American Red Cross to finance and supervise the distribution of a shipload of emergency food rations being diverted to Rumania by the US Army. See the editorial note in Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, 8 vols. (Washington: GPO, 1971–73), 4: 476–77.