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    "label": "Report, \"The Truth About Korea\"",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Report, \"The Truth About Korea\"",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/229036752",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
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            "logicalDate": "1950-01-01",
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{
    "seq": 13,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "- 13 -\nDEBUNKING REFUBLICAN PROPAGANDA\nMost orten repeated by Republican propagandists is the fantas- -\ntic charge that \"only $200 worth of wire was sent to Korea out of a hun-\ndred million dollars appropriated under the Mutual Defense Assistance\nProgram of 1949\". As might be expected, this malicious innuendo comes\nmost frequently from the lips of those who most violently opposed this\nprogram to arm free nations.\nThis charge is both an outright lie and a distortion of the\nfacts.\nThe $100 million referred to was composed of (a) $27,640,000\nauthorized under Section 301 for Iran, the Philippines, and Korea and\n(b) $75 million authorized for the \"general area of China\", which had\nto cover all of Southeast Asia, including Burma, Indochina, Siam, and\nIndonesia, whose needs were fully great enough to absorb it. The sum\navailable for Korea could be only $10.2 million out of the $27,640,000.\nThis was to provide maintenance and spare parts for the American equip-\nment in the hands of the Korean military forces and for the Korean coast\nguard. At the time of the attack $253,000 worth of arms for coast guard\nvessels and small aircraft sold to Korea under the authority of the MDA\nAct had been delivered. In addition, $53,000 worth of signal equipment\nwas in process of being shipped from San Francisco. This does not in-\nARDALVES and RECORDS SERVICE* AND 1\nclude the $298,000 worth of spare parts which were on the way to San\nand\nFrancisco for shipment to Korea. The greater portion of the assistance\nneeded, however, was equipment, spare parts and replacements which had\nto be rehabilitated or manufactured. This materiel was part of general\norders for similar materiel under the entire MDAP, and orders for almost\nall of the entire $10 million had been placed.\nThe gross distortion by the Republicans is the inexcusable\nimplication that immediately upon the appropriation of funds the materiel\nscheduled for Korea could be taken off the shelves and sent. The Repub-\nlicans who indulge in this deliberate attempt to mislead our citizens are\naware that it was first necessary to carry out the mandate of Congress to\nnegotiate bilateral agreements with each MDAP country. It was also nec-\nessary to place orders for the manufacture or rehabilitation of materiel\nfor Korea as for other countries. This takes time.\nRepublican Opposition to Military Aid to Korea\nThe fact that attacks now being made by the Republicans are\nwholly for partisan purposes and based entirely on hindsight is shown\nby the voting record of the Republicans on the Military Aid Program\nplanned for Korea by the Administration and presented as part of the\nMutual Defense Assistance bill in 1949.\nThe Mutual Defense Assistance Program was supported by veterans\norganizations: American Legion, American Veterans Committee (AVC), AMVETS\nCatholic War Veterans and Jewish War Veterans, labor (CIO and AFL) and other\ngroups which believed in supporting democratic countries abroad by deed as\nwell as word."
}