00:00:01.240 - 00:00:30.860

1 95. 7 Smith On today's report from Washington, Senator Smathers discusses domestic and foreign problems of interest to the people of Florida and the nation. Now here is the first question Senator matters. We see now that Khrushchev at least has told the world that he's withdrawing from this moon race.

00:00:31.340 - 00:00:53.150

Is this another phony or is it an attempt to have us ease up? I believe that Mr Khrushchev is just admitting that the economy of the Soviet Union is not sufficiently strong to now any further compete with us in the moon race. It's been a big strain on our own economy.

00:00:54.240 - 00:01:23.450

I believe that however, we should go forward in our efforts to try to put a man on the moon, because I believe that the things that we learn, the side benefits that we receive in our medical professions and all the engineering and technological professions I think that that which we learn will more than repay us five billions of dollars, which we will spend every year in this project.

00:01:23.940 - 00:01:41.000

Now those that were who opposed to this Moonshot are joining with a few others since this announcement in an attempt to cut the NASA budget back now. If that occurs, that's going to hurt Florida. Do you anticipate such a cut? Well, right now we have won.

00:01:41.000 - 00:01:58.460

The house has cut it rather substantially. We're very hopeful that Senator Holland and I will be able to have some of this cut restored because not only will it mean a great deal of Florida, but I think in the long range of you it's going to mean a great deal to the nation in the free world.

00:01:59.140 - 00:02:14.570

So I said the things that we learned his side benefits that we learned are so enormously important to us that we must go forward with it. Columbus didn't know what he was going to get when he started out hunting for a short route to India, and he discovered a continent.

00:02:14.570 - 00:02:32.350

All these things that are he's, uh, new inventions. They are arrived at, usually in a search for something else. So I think that we can afford this $5 billion a year, and I think that we should go forward with our experimentation toward putting a man on the moon.

00:02:32.440 - 00:02:48.160

Well, we're speaking of large amounts of money, Senators matters. One of your colleagues, Senator Morris, a Democrat, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has recommended that the foreign aid will be sent back to the committee. Do you recovery with that? I don't agree with that.

00:02:48.170 - 00:03:11.150

The foreign aid bill is easy to vote against. Everybody has voted against it. Some part of it. I think it will be cut even more than it was cut in the committee and probably with some justification. But on the other hand, while we talk greatly about the evils of foreign aid and it does seem like a tremendous lost, we must remember that President Eisenhower.

00:03:11.540 - 00:03:32.260

Just the other day, in announcing that he would support a certain candidates who met certain standards, he said, I want to support a candidate, the Republican candidate who understands the importance of maintaining our alliances and helping new and burgeoning nations to attain a democratic and free society.

00:03:32.540 - 00:03:59.260

Now, this is what foreign aid is. We should stop giving it, of course, to those countries that are not going our way. We should, of course, stop giving aid to those countries who, in terms of dollars, are better off than we are. Their own finances are, but There are other countries, particularly those in Central and South America who are just emerging from colonialism of the worst type in dictatorship.

00:03:59.940 - 00:04:18.660

And we need to continue to lend their money at this particular foreign aid program. Actually, is the 80% of it is our loans. Now there are very few grants, and we must remember that 80% of the money which is spent is actually spent in the United States.

00:04:19.040 - 00:04:36.210

And one of the reasons that we have a great export program today, which provides some five in the United States, is because of this foreign aid program. So all the factors with respect to foreign aid are not negative, although it's easy to demagogue against it and talk against it.

00:04:36.210 - 00:04:53.460

I've done a little bit of it myself in the past, but overall, I think it's a pretty good program. Of course, I think most of our listeners know that you're a member of this Foreign Relations Committee, and I'd like to quote Senator Morris where he said, It's a giveaway program and it's this report.

00:04:53.640 - 00:05:21.470

Let's come out as a snow job, but you go along well, I I don't agree with that at all I do think there are. There is some duplication. There is some waste in it. It can be tightened up. But generally speaking, if we help these other countries to accomplish freedom, if we keep them, we're in a position where they can have their own military, then it means that if we do get involved rather than having to send their own boys, we use the boys from these other countries.

00:05:21.470 - 00:05:48.110

So I think generally speaking, it's a pretty good programs. Thank you, Senators matters. I trust you'll be with us next week at the same time. One again we report from the nation's capital. Senators Matters. Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges recently stated that the United States should ease some of our trade relations with the Soviet bloc nations.

00:05:48.110 - 00:06:24.850

Now, do you feel this is proper? That, of course, using the week as an example? Well, the start. If we consider the Soviet bloc nations that Cuba, I'm not for that I can recognize that there is considerable appeal to the argument that we ought to do business with Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and so on, because what's happening is that West Germany and France and Great Britain and some of the other countries who are our allies are doing a good deal of business with these Soviet bloc Eastern European countries.

00:06:25.640 - 00:06:47.760

And as a matter of fact, as we know from the week they buy weed from us and re millet and treated to process it and incented sell, sell it on into the communist countries. And so there's a great movement on foot to start this trade. Ah, I don't know whether frankly, it's a particularly good idea or not.

00:06:47.760 - 00:07:22.540

I think we've got to become come a little more to the conclusion that Mr Khrushchev does want to have less than attention in the Cold War that he does not further seek any ambitions, have any aggressive ambitions in Europe or anywhere else in the world. I would have to personally be a little more satisfied this were the case before I wouldn't want to start in effect building up your enemy Senator On the domestic front, we found this past week considerable controversy over the civil rights bill.

00:07:22.620 - 00:07:40.860

As approached by the House, the White House requested that it be watered down somewhat with the hope that it might be passed. Now what is your opinion on that. Do you feel that this weakened bill in the in the eyes of some people will get through the House?

00:07:41.100 - 00:08:08.650

Well, I think it will get through the House. I doubt very seriously if it's going to get through the Senate. I think that's where the big fight's going to be in the Senate. I think that, with pressure from the White House, the so called liberal bloc have been willing to back off what they call a strong bill in the realization that they could not get what they call a strong bills by the Rules Committee of the House.

00:08:09.640 - 00:08:34.680

And there was some prospect of that not even getting by the House. So they have agreed to compromise, and the compromise is considered a watered down bill. It's near the bill that was first recommended by the Kennedy administration. Now I believe that they've got enough votes to pass that because they have a lot of city votes over in the house.

00:08:34.680 - 00:09:04.150

The House is based on population, so they've got a lot of city votes and I think they've got enough to pass that bill and of course it will come to the Senate and the Southerners will filibuster against this so called civil rights bill. And I believe that even though they have day and night sessions, I think that the Southerners can hold out right on through Thanksgiving and through Christmas, if need be.

00:09:04.940 - 00:09:25.380

And unless the other is, the opposition to the Southerners can get closer. Uh, which means you've got enough votes to bring in the debate. Why I don't see how they can end it. So I don't know whether they're going to get any civil rights bill passed this year or not.

00:09:25.390 - 00:09:39.250

Let us in on a little. I don't know it's a secret or not, Senator, but you just came to the studio from a meeting of a very important committee. You're a member of the Democratic Policy Committee and, of course, part of the leadership of the Senate.

00:09:39.740 - 00:10:03.270

What has there been any determination as to whether or not they will adjourn or continue this session right through to January? Well, the determination has been that they're going to stay here until they dispose of the civil rights bill and hopefully a tax bill. And if that's the case, and that was the determination today, why There's no question of what we will be here every day except Christmas Day.

00:10:03.350 - 00:10:22.750

Now there's an important date coming up for Florida. That's on November 5th, when the people of the state will decide whether an educational bond issue, How are you going to vote on that? And would you be in the state at that time? Well, I will not be in the state at that time, but I'm going to cast in my book Absentee Ballot, and I'm certainly going to be for it.

00:10:23.340 - 00:10:44.470

This is the most important program for the state of Florida. We need education, not only greater facilities to provide our growing numbers of two for our growing numbers of young people who need to go to establish technological schools in order to attract some of these space and electronics industries.

00:10:44.470 - 00:10:57.550

And we're never going to get those industries and that Titan character in size that we want until we have these top quality engineering schools. Thank you very much, Senator George Smathers. I'll return you to our next report to Florida