Ike Gives Program for Strength In State of the Union Message; Johnson Asks Missile Speed-Up

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9--President Eisenhower proclaimed today a program of "safety through strength" and issued to the American people and an applauding Congress, a confident, ringing "call for action."

Eisenhower set forth an eight-point program, and summoned the country and Congress to rally behind it with sacrifices and understanding. Many Democratic leaders promptly lined up with Republicans in expressions of support and praise.

Pushing aside domestic questions, to be considered in his budget message Monday, Eisenhower gave over today's report to two great tasks he said outweigh all others:

"The first is to ensure our safety through strength.... Our second task is to do the constructive work of building a genuine peace."

The President called for a stepped-up missiles program, a shakeup in the Pentagon to halt harmful rivalries, and greater economic aid to countries facing "a massive economic offensive" from the Kremlin.

Among Eisenhower's other points were scientific cooperation with this country's allies, a program to improve education and research, and a five-year extension of the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act.

Eisenhower also called for stern priority tests for both military and civilian spending. Although he noted that "our real purpose will be to achieve adequate security," he said that the outlook is for a roughly balanced budget for the 1959 fiscal year, starting July 1.

Asks More Missiles

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9--Sen. Johnson of Texas, Democratic leader of the Senate and chairman of its preparedness subcommittee, called Thursday for an increase in the production of ballistic missiles.

He said the testimony of three military experts who have appeared before his subcommittee at closed-door sessions indicated production rates for these space age weapons should and could be stepped up.

Maj. Gen. Bernard A. Schriever, director of the ballistic missiles program for the Air Force, was quoted by Johnson as saying that both the Thor and Atlas missiles are being supported at an adequate rate in the development stage "but that production schedules could and should be accelerated."

The senator said Schriever added that the Thor and the Atlas development programs could not be accelerated but indicated that the Titan program could and should be stepped up.