75408 HEARINGS BEFORE THE iss. SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTIETH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON THE FOREIGN AID APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1949 PART 1 ROBERT P. WILLIAMS, Administrative Assistant, Editor Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1948 HC240 716 1949a COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS JOHN TABER, New York, Chairman RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri CHARLES A. PLUMLEY, Vermont H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota LOWELL STOCKMAN, Oregon JOHN PHILLIPS, California ERRETT P. SCRIVNER, Kansas CHARLES R. ROBERTSON, North Dakota FREDERIC R. COUDERT, JR., New York CLIFF CLEVENGER, Ohio LOUIS LUDLOW, Indiana JOHN H. KERR, North Carolina HARRY R. SHEPPARD, California W. F. NORRELL, Arkansas GEORGE Y. HARVEY, Clerk SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFICIENCIES JOHN TABER, New York, Chairman RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri FRANK B. KEEFE, Wisconsin JOHN H. KERR, North Carolina GEORGE H. MAHON, Texas II WILLIAM A. DUVALL, Executive Secretary to Subcommittee FOREIGN AID APPROPRIATION BILL, 1949 ом 76 HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COM- TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1948. ECONOMIC COOPERATION ADMINISTRATION STATEMENT OF PAUL G. HOFFMAN, ADMINISTRATOR; RICHARD GENERAL STATEMENT The CHAIRMAN. The committee has under consideration this morning an estimate contained in House Document No. 610 for $4,245,000,000 for the carrying out of foreign assistance as authorized by title I of Public, No. 472, approved April 3, 1948. We have with us Mr. Paul G. Hoffman, the Administrator appointed to head the Economic Cooperation Administration. We should be glad to have a statement from you at this time, Mr. Hoffman. Mr. HOFFMAN. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, since assuming office as Administrator of the Economic Cooperation Administration 10 days ago I have found myself confronted with a number of pressing problems. As soon as I was sworn in, the authorization of expenditures by the State Department under the Interim Aid Act ceased. I had to assume responsibility for any further expenditures under that program as well as for initial expenditures under the new program. Up to date my Administration has authorized the expenditure of some $62,000,000 (including some $5,000,000 for ocean freight) to continue shipments of food, fuel, and fertilizer to certain European countries. I have also necessarily had to devote much time to recruiting competent personnel for the key positions in our new organization. The fact that we had over 14,000 applications for positions has not made. this task less complicated. It is people who make an organization and selecting the best equipped person for each important position takes time. We have also faced the minor problem of operating in temporary quarters while preparing to set up shop in the Maiatico Building. Whatever success I may have had to date in meeting the responsibilities of this new office is due solely to: (1) The quality and quantity of preparatory work carried on by various agencies of government in the past several months and, (2) the willingness of the heads of |