163. Memorandum for the Record by the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant (Boster)0

In a discussion with the Secretary re the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on January 23, Secretary Anderson said that they would be ready to send the proposed increases on this to the Congress early in February. He said he had sent to Mr. Paarlberg, with the request that it also be sent here, the legislation and accompanying draft letter for the President to send. He said the idea would be to play up this legislation to keep the initiative we had shown at New Delhi. Mr. Anderson said he understood that there was a feeling by some in the Bureau of the Budget and on the White House staff that this should be handled as a supplemental appropriation with the President sending up “one line” on it. Mr. Anderson said he did not have strong feelings on it, but noted that he and Mr. Dillon would have to testify [Page 316] on it and it seemed that we would lose if we treated it as an ordinary supplemental. Before taking a stand, Mr. Anderson said he wanted to be governed by the Secretary’s views.

The Secretary said he felt this was an opportunity that should not be missed to put forward something constructive. There were complaints that our leadership was not sufficiently constructive and imaginative and here was an important opportunity to do something. He pointed out that from a foreign policy point of view this would clearly be to our good. The Secretary said he would reinforce what he had just said and Mr. Anderson said he might call on him to do that.

D.E. Boster 1
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 398.13/1–2359. Confidential.
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.