Shultz Wants $4.4 Billion for Embassies

WASHINGTON â€”  Secretary of State George P. Shultz, saying the nation needs to demon-strate its perseverance in the fight against terrorism, sought congressional support today for a $4.4-billion embassy security program.

Shultz testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on plans to comply with recommendations made last year by a commission that studied means for providing better protection for U.S. diplomatic outposts.

Shultz said the program, which would center the authority for security in the State Department, calls for 1,300 new employees and $4.4 billion over five years, including $2.7 billion in construction costs.

Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) questioned the proposal to establish a permanent bureau in the State Department to handle security, when international terrorism is viewed as a “temporary aberration.�

Could React to Abatement

“I think we want to give the feeling that we are determined about stamping out terrorism and we have staying power,� Shultz replied. He said the measures could be disassembled if the threat abates.

Shultz got a generally positive reception, although Pell and others expressed reservations about the costs and bureaucratic shifts involved in the department’s plans.

Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) said said that he supports “reasonable increases� for security but the Administration should pare its foreign aid recommendations to make up for the added costs.

Shultz said the department is assessing and justifying all costs in the light of the Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction law.

‘Half the Department Flying’

“We have to put to people the question, ‘Is this trip necessary, really,’ � Shultz said. “Sometimes, I think half the department is flying around somewhere.�

The Administration is asking Congress to approve $455 million for construction and $237 million for salary and expenses for this year to begin the program. Next year, the costs would be $1.1 billion and $304 million, respectively.

Robert Lamb, assistant secretary of state charged with managing the new security bureau, said of 1,300 new State Department employees, 190 would protect foreign diplomats in this country. Protection for the embassy buildings themselves would remain with the Secret Service, part of the Treasury Department.