The documents in the Thomas T. Connally Papers regard debate in the U.S. Senate concerning the Extension of the European Recovery Program in 1949 (Senate Bill S.1209). On March 28, 1949, Senator William Langer (Republican-North Dakota) criticized the Spanish-American War record of Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of England. Langer reported that Churchill had fought in Cuba against the U.S. during the war. Thomas Connally was one of the senators who responded to Langer’s speech and claimed that Churchill did not take up arms versus the U.S. and, in fact, was not even in Cuba during the war. Over the objections of Langer, the Extension of European Recovery Program was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Truman on April 14, 1949.

Material in the collection consists of the photocopied entries in the Congressional Record regarding Langer’s original speech of March 28th, Connally’s response on March 30th and Langer’s rebuttal to Connally on March 31st. Also included are photocopies of correspondence received by Connally from Winston Churchill and others refuting Langer’s claims. The correspondence was copied from the Papers of Tom Connally at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C..