The Administration: More for the Corps

Just a year ago, the Congress—and much of the U.S.—was skeptical and wary of the newly created Peace Corps. Last week, as it celebrated its first birthday, the Peace Corps bathed in the warm glow of bipartisan praise—and knew just how to use its popularity to advantage. President Kennedy submitted legislation to increase the Corps' authorized strength from 2,400 to 6,700 by mid-1963, noting that the Corps' "early successes have fulfilled expectations." Peace Corps Director R. Sargent Shriver went before a House committee to ask $63.7 million for fiscal 1963, more than twice his current $30 million appropriation. His reception from the 19 Congressmen who questioned him showed that he has a good chance of getting most of it.

Even the Administration has been surprised at the Peace Corps' success. Nearly 700 volunteers are now working in twelve countries from Chile to Thailand—and all twelve have asked for more. Twenty other countries are clamoring for corpsmen. And, despite the Margery Michelmore incident, the Peace Corps has avoided most of the pitfalls that its critics predicted for it. So far, only six Corps members have come home.

Shriver now has 190 more Peace Corpsmen in training, and a vigorous recruiting campaign has brought applications flooding in; a record 4,000 applied to join the Peace Corps in February alone. By August, Shriver expects to have 5,000 volunteers either overseas or in training, and by October 1963 he is counting on having 10,000 Peace Corpsmen.