The Money and the Manpower
The budget of Mutual Defense Assistance Control (MDAC) for the present fiscal year is $1,078,000. As of December 31, 1953, the MDAC staff consisted of 29 persons, including clerical employees. In addition, there were 111 persons on other United States Government agency staffs, both in Washington and overseas, who were performing Battle Act functions and were paid out of MDAC funds. These 111 were in the following agencies:
| Commerce Department | 32 |
| State Department | 43 |
| Defense Department | 13 |
| FOA (other than MDAC) | 23 |
| —— | |
| Total | 111 |
This brought the total personnel on the MDAC payroll to 140, as compared with 115 on June 30, 1953.
Besides these 140 people, the four agencies listed above had still others, paid from the agencies’ own funds, who were working at least part of their time on similar functions (and generally were engaged in such activities even before the Battle Act became law).
Meshing the Gears
The Battle Act is a part of the economic defense program of the Government. The economic defense program involves at least 10 agencies whose activities and interests have to be coordinated. The coordination is accomplished through the Economic Defense Advisory Committee (EDAC). The chairman of EDAC is the FOA Deputy Director for MDAC. The chart opposite this page shows what agencies are members and how the EDAC structure is set up. In addition the United States Information Agency has an observer on EDAC, and economic defense matters are closely coordinated with USIA for overseas information purposes.