Work Done

In Congress last week: P: The Senate and House passed and sent to the White House a military money bill of $39.2 billion, which fell short of Administration requests by only $19.9 million but notably revised some of the Defense Department's strategic planning. Specifically, Congress added $85 million to start boosting the U.S.'s intercontinental ballistic missile squadron strength from nine to 17, also $87 million to speed development of the second-generation, solid-fueled ICBM Minuteman. The Administration had wanted $260 million for a steam-powered aircraft carrier, but Congress said no, instead put up $35 million to cover advance planning on a nuclear-attack aircraft carrier. It added $137 million for the Navy's undernourished antisubmarine-warfare program. One congressional lapse from sound strategic planning: an added $73 million to keep the politically-powerful National Guard at 400,000 men instead of at the Administration's recommended level of 360,000.

P: The House Judiciary Committee approved (by a reported 17-13 vote) a moderate version of the Administration's civil-rights program that would 1) make it a federal crime to block school desegregation by force or threat of force, 2) require local election officials to preserve for two years all records of election for federal offices and permit the Justice Department to inspect them, 3) extend the life of the federal Civil Rights Commission for two years beyond its expiration date next month. Earlier the committee (18-13) junked a proposed, tough section that would have empowered the Attorney General to initiate suits to protect civil rights, including the right to attend integrated schools. Also dropped was a section empowering the Federal Government to aid local school authorities with desegregation problems--a section that would have given specific congressional endorsement to the Supreme Court's basic 1954 school-integration decisions.

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