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ms, vet- ipts of - é, ab n, of yy + Fe aman ahchacimk aotinhaiaaatans tin halen EAL, = f ee ee at . . ° ry . . a 7] ™~ nn en eee eee ae hae.’ . cms Mere pa ree eee eames: eee aro, ARE ge ‘e LO Ate RT pe ale ISSUB 1689, News in Focus Greatest Victory Congress T was a great victory for David E. I Lilienthal, but perhaps an even greater one for Arthur Hendrick Vaa- denberg. Surely, it was Vandenberg’s highest hour in 19 years 2s Senator from Michigan when he delivered his powet- ful appeal last week for confirmation of Lilienthal as chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission. The crucial Senate test on Lilienthal’s nomination came an hour after Vanden- berg had finished. Seventeen other Re- publicans defied GOP floor leadership to support Vandenberg: with 34 Demo- crats they voted down (52 to 38) an attempt to send the Atomic Commission i ts: back to committee. The 4 8P iy formal vote actually to confirm Lilien- thal and four other commission members would be an anti-climax. Thus, despite 10 solid weeks of bitter, unbridled assaults on his ability, charac- ter and origin, Lilienthal had won the stupendous job of directing this coun- try's atomic-development program—for e or war, This program had floun- dered during the long Lilienthal debate. His victory would be the signal for full ahead. But Vandenberg had won many vic- tories, too, in this fight: @ He had proved beyond doubt the many had said he lacked; he hii aligned himself vigorously against the four other members of the Senate's Re- publican “Big Five’—Taft (Ohio); White (Maine) ; Wherry (Nebr.) ; and Bridges (N. H.)—and had beaten them all. @ In his undeclared, disavowed race for the 1948 GOP presidential nomination, he had gained much ground at the ex- of his chief congressional rival, a @. But his greatest victory was won over himself, Last week’s performance pro vided fresh evidence of the distance war, pro-isolationist, strongly anti-New Deal position. Now his raspy, gravel voice, never so effective before, seemed to represent the good conscience of conservative Ameti- cans willing, on some issues at least, to confront the stubborn realities of an atom-splitting world. There were many dramatic moments in the final two days of bitter debate be- fore the Senate’s test vote, but none so dramatic as the 33 minutes consumed by the 63-year-old Michigander. The chamber was crowded. Most Senators were at theie desks. Members of Senate staffs and 2 few favored friends occu- pied chairs or stood at the sides and rear of the floor. Not even standing room was left in the galleries. Vandenberg rested his big frame heavily against a speech rack atop his mahogany desk in the center of the chamber, With his left hand, he gripped the stand. With his right, he executed his familiar salute-like gesture as he hunched over and thundered home his ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 14 1947 arguments. Republicans and some Sout ern Democrats santly on the line that Lilienthal h - Vandenberg had traveled from his_pre- Communist sympathies or was “sole, had hammered inc. foward Russia. Sat ‘ After weeks of testimony, I find +} basis for this charge... - 1 do oot ww. to emulate the intolerance of comr~ nism itself by condemning to some =~ of Siberia all persons who do oot hy pen totally to subscribe to my Own” V. as to how America ought to be rus. ~! It is the opinion of our [atomic-ener :. committee that Mr. Lilienthal is no t of a Communist by any stretch of . imagination. . + - ! Taft had stunned even some of § Republican colleagues by urging that ° US withdraw its international atou control plan from the United Nats “until the world is in a more peac 4 state.” He wanted domestic cory taken out of civilian hands and retu:} to the Army. Vandenberg pointed’ that the Senate Atomic Energy Corr tee had struggled with that problen. many months: Said he: “. . « ik} found out one thing truer than ano" it is that in peacetime we cannot -; science into its laboratories with I nets.” : 4 To arguments that Lilienthal—fc- $ ! 3 head of the Tennessee Valley Autt —is “such a devotee of public o- | ship that he will endanger free «. prise,” Vandenberg recalled that © gress had made control of atomic > “the tightest government monopol:- set up in the United States. . - - H declared: : You all voted for it. It passe Senate unanimously. We . . . decree © government ownership and manag . . is an indispensable public ne for the sake of national security ins 3 to the control of atomic energy -- -. fore, one of the most available 1: ; run it is the successful managet - greatest existing comparable exam: 3