Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.—

Sec. 121. Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.— There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the President for the fiscal year 1955, to be made available on such terms and conditions, including transfer of funds, as he may specify, not to exceed $700,000,000 for expenses necessary for the support of the forces of nations in the area of Southeast Asia, including the furnishing, as far as possible, of direct assistance to the Associated States of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam as well as to the forces of other free nations in the area including those of France located in such Associated States and for other expenditures to accomplish in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific the policies and purposes declared in this Act. In addition, the unexpended balances of funds allocated from appropriations made pursuant to sections 304 and 540 of the Mutual Security Act of 1951, as amended, for the purpose of support of the forces of the Associated States of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and the forces of France located in the Associated States, are hereby authorized to be continued available for the purpose of this section through June 30, 1955, and to be consolidated with the appropriation authorized by this section. Assistance under this section shall be made available subject to the provisions of sections 141 and 142, except that (1) in the case of assistance to the Associated States of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, and (2) in the case of assistance (not to exceed in the aggregate 10 per centum of the amount appropriated pursuant to this section, excluding unexpended balances of prior appropriations) to other nations, the President may waive specific provisions of section 142 to the extent he may deem necessary in the national interest to carry out the purposes of this Act. The President or such officer as he may designate shall report each instance of such waiver to the Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the Foreign Affairs, Appropriations, and Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives within thirty days. It is the sense of the Congress that no part of the funds appropriated under this section shall be used on behalf of governments which are committed by treaty to maintain Communist rule over any defined territory of Asia.