Word: vandenbergers
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1940-1949
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
They had tentatively agreed on a bill, drafted by Committee Chairman Brien McMahon, which set up a control commission of five civilians. Then they tacked on (by a 10-to-1 vote) an amendment by Michigan's Senator Arthur Vandenberg. It provided for a military board which would have access to all the commission's information and could appeal to the President if anything the civilians did seemed "inimical to the common defense." They also tacked on an amendment by Connecticut's Senator Thomas Hart, adding an advisory board of nine part-time experts to the commission...
...Vandenberg amendment was a compromise. "The military committee's only power," Vandenberg explained, "is to say 'Stop, look and listen" . . . the minimum consideration of national defense which this situation requires...
Citizens' committees began to sprout and shout across the land. One, organized by Donald Nelson, attacked the Vandenberg amendment as "contrary to the historic constitutional principle of civilian control over all phases of American national policy...
...debate raged on. At week's end the State Department issued the Acheson report (see INTERNATIONAL) which would eventually vest primary control in UNO. Senators were in a tailspin. Hastily they withdrew into their chambers to think it all over again, while Mr. Vandenberg buckled down to write another amendment defining the functions of the military...
...Bomb, to Senator Pepper, was the "newest form of isolationism." He attacked Michigan's Senator Arthur Vandenberg as "the most vigorous and powerful advocate" of that isolationism. He answered Vandenberg's question of the week before-"What is Russia up to?" -with another question: "What is America...