Editorial Note
On May 5, 1953, President Eisenhower transmitted a message to Congress outlining the recommendations of the Administration for the Mutual Security Program of fiscal year 1954. The message included the following statement: “We are proposing to make substantial additional resources available to assist the French and the Associated States in their military efforts to defeat the Communist Viet Minh aggression.” For full text of the message, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953, pages 256–259, or Department of State Bulletin, May 25, 1953, pages 735—736.
Secretary of State Dulles testified in support of the proposed Mutual Security Program for 1954 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 5. His statement included the following remarks regarding Indochina: “Communist aggression in Indochina represents one of the most serious present threats to the free world. The present aggression against Laos is an extremely disturbing development. The primary responsibility for conduct of military operations rests upon France and the Associated States. Their manpower must do the fighting and they are bearing a large part of the costs of the military effort. But they are clearly incapable of bearing the entire cost. Our mutual-security program provides $400 million and some military end items for the purpose of helping the French and the Indochinese peoples reduce this Communist pressure to manageable proportions. There may be some modest increase in aid of new and more vigorous plans.” For full text of the [Page 543] statement (Press Release No. 241, May 5), see Department of State Bulletin, May 25, 1953, pages 736–739.
Harold E. Stassen, the Director for Mutual Security, also testified on May 5. His statement indicated that under the proposed program, $400 million was allocated for support of the war effort in Indochina, and that for France approximately 40 percent of the cost of the war would be covered by contributions in various forms from the United States. For full text, see ibid., pages 740–742.
For documentation on the development of the Mutual Security Program for 1954 and Congressional action on it, including information on aid for Indochina, see volume I.