Lieutenant Colonel HowARD. Some of them went to increase the marine force at North Island, San Diego, when that station was increased in size. They took over the Army part of it. General HOLCOMB. Due to expanding naval shore activities and increased activities at practically all navy yards and naval stations, requests have been received from the commandants of naval districts and yards for more than 350 men. These requests were reasonable and would have been filled had there been any personnel available. without reducing the number assigned to some other essential activity. MARINE CORPS RESERVE The increase in the estimates for the Marine Corps Reserve is in accordance with the existing approved policies of the Navy Department to build up and train an adequate reserve. The estimates for the Marine Corps Reserve, as approved by the Director of the Budget, provide pay for 48 drills for 215 officers and 4,129 enlisted men, and 15 days' training for 215 officers and 4,129 enlisted men of the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve; 15 days' training for 120 officers of the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve; and 6 weeks' training for 450 college students enlisted in the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve for special training as platoon leaders. Twenty-nine students reported for training with the advanced class, platoon leaders' class, of whom 21 were commissioned in the Marine Corps Reserve, and 8 will be eligible upon graduation from college. One hundred and seventy-four students reported for training with the senior class. Of these men 170 received recommendations for commissions in the Marine Corps Reserve and will be commissioned when graduated from college. One hundred and eighty-three students reported for training in the junior class, of whom all but one received recommendations to be returned for further training during the summer of 1938. Estimates provide for continuing the training of 450 college students during the summer of 1938. The list of colleges and universities from which students are selected is appended. Estimates provide for the basic training of 19 active battalions of the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve. This branch of the Reserve must be trained and ready for immediate duty with the Fleet Marine Force on initial mobilization. The Marine Corps has not established reserve officers' training units in colleges or universities. It does enlist students from a selected list of accredited colleges throughout the United States in the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve. These students are assigned to two periods of active duty training of 6 weeks each following their sophomore and junior years at college. After successfully completing the two periods of training, and upon graduation from college these young men are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve for duty as platoon leaders in time of a national emergency. In 1937, 29 students were assigned an additional course of 4 weeks in the platoon leaders' class after which 21 were commissioned as second lieutenants and assigned to 15 days' training with the Fleet Marine Force. It is contemplated that approximately 70 will receive this training in 1938. The following shows a recapitulation of enlistment and training data on the classes enlisted in 1935, 1936, and 1937: Recapitulation of enlistment and training data on classes enlisted in 1935. 1936, and 1937 Mr. UMSTEAD. The activity just described by you constitutes, in ffect, a sort of a Marine Corps R. O. T. C., does it not? General HOLCOMB. It does, sir. ↑ Mr. UMSTEAD. Do all of the schools listed in the tables just inerted provide military training? General HOLCOMB. Practically none of them do. Mr. UMSTEAD. When does a student become identified with your organization-as a freshman or as a sophomore? General HOLCOMB. At the end of his sophomore year, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. This plan, I believe, was begun in 1935? Mr. UMSTEAD. How has it been possible to issue commissions to 110 of them at this early date? General HOLCOMB. We have commissioned 110 so far, and we have 215 more who have taken all of their military training and will be commissioned as soon as they take their degrees at college. I will explain that, sir. In the first year we felt that we had to get some reserve officers right away. So, we enlisted that year over 100 juniors, that is, men who were graduating the next year, and we commissioned them the following summer after only 6 weeks' training. It was not enough, but it was the best we could do. At the same time, we started the junior class at the end of the sophomore year. They came along and in 1936 took their second year's training, and on graduation in 1937 they were commissioned. Mr. UMSTEAD. They are given a probationary commission, are they not? General HOLCOMB. In the Reserve, sir? Mr. UMSTEAD. Yes. General HOLCOMB. Well, all commissions are probationary in the Reserve Corps, in a way. I mean by that it is quite easy to separate an officer from the service. In addition to commissioning this number in the Reserve, we have taken altogether six into the regular service. Mr. UMSTEAD. From that group? General HOLCOMB. Yes, sir; from that group of officers who otherwise would have had Reserve commissions. They were honor graduates. We got authority for that. Five of them are still in the service. Mr. UMSTEAD. Your table indicates that 227 students are eligible for further training, as just stated by you? General HOLCOMB. Yes, sir. Mr. UMSTEAD. You stated a moment ago, as I understood it, that the estimates include provision for training 450. Is the difference between 227 and 450 made up of this year's first class? General HOLCOMB. Yes, sir: next year's junior class. Mr. UMSTEAD. Is it the purpose not to further extend the activity either by recognizing additional schools or increasing the enrollees of existing units? General HOLCOMB. We are very pleased to get the money for 450. We could use more. Mr. UMSTEAD. What is the present prediction of the yearly output on the basis of your experience thus far? General HOLCOMB. Well, 3 years would indicate about 100 a year. 1 will ask Colonel Upshur to give his opinion on that. What will be the annual increase, Colonel? Colonel UPSHUR. 175. General HOLCOMB. The annual increase will be 175. MARINE CORPS AVIATION Regarding Marine Corps aviation, the estimates provide pay for 48 drills and 15 days' training for 92 officers and 510 enlisted me.. and elimination flight training for 40 and advanced flight training for 30 aviation cadets, for active duty for 64 aviation cadets, and for continuous active duty for five additional ship keepers. In closing I wish to state it is my considered judgment that the national defense requires that the Marine Corps have an orderly expansion of not less than 1,000 men per year until the year 1945, si which time, unless foreign relations dictate otherwise, it should be stabilized. FOREIGN SERVICE OF THE MARINES Mr. UMSTEAD. General, where have we marines serving ashore at this time in foreign countries? General HOLCOMB. At Shanghai we have 135 officers, 15 warrant officers, and 2,452 men; at Peiping we have 21 officers, 3 warrant officers, and 505 men; at Olangapo, P. I., we have 3 officers and 61 men; at Cavite, P. I., we have 4 officers, 3 warrant officers, and 236 men; at Guam we have 9 officers, 2 warrant officers, and 136 men: at Pearl Harbor we have 10 officers, 3 warrant officers, and 395 men: at Oahu we have 1 officer, 1 warrant officer, and 91 enlisted men: at Samoa, 1 enlisted man; at Coco Solo we have 1 officer, and 109 enlisted men; at Balboa we have 1 officer and 41 enlisted men; at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, we have 5 officers, 1 warrant officer, and 11 enlisted men; in the Virgin Islands we have 9 officers, 4 warrant officers, and 104 enlisted men. Mr. UMSTEAD. General, will you insert in the record citations to and quotations from the provisions of international law which govern service in China and any other foreign country in time of peace! General HOLCOMB. Yes, sir. (The matter referred to follows:) INTERNATIONAL LAW JUSTIFYING MARINES IN CHINA The authority for stationing American armed forces in the Peiping-Tientsin area is as follows: Articles VII and IX of the so-called Boxer protocol of 1901 provide for the reservation of the legation quarter at Peiping for the use and control by the foreign legations; for the maintenance by each power of a guard in that quarter for the defense of its legation, and for the occupancy of certain points between Peiping and Shanhaikwan to be determined by an agreement between the signa tory powers for the maintenance of open communication between Peiping and the sea. Pertinent provisions of articles VII and IX read as follows: "ART. VII. The Chinese Government has agreed that the quarter occupied by the legations shall be considered as one specially reserved for their use and placed under their exclusive control, in which Chinese shall not have the right to reside and which may be made defensible. "In the protocol annexed to the letter of the 16th of January 1901, China recognized the right of each power to maintain a permanent guard in the said quarter for the defense of its legation. "ABT. IX. The Chinese Government has conceded the right to the powers in the protocol annexed to the letter of the 16th of January 1901, to occupy certain points, to be determined by an agreement between them, for the maintenance of open communication between the capital and the sea. The points occupied by the powers are: "Huang-tsun, Lang-fang, Yang-tsun, Tientsin, Shun-liang Ch'eng, Tang-ku, Lu-tai, Tang-shan, Lan-chou, Chang-li, Ch'in-wang tao, Shan-hai kuan. (MacMurray's China Treaties, pp. 282–283.) The authority for stationing armed forces at Shanghai is derived in part from the special status of the International Settlement as an area set aside for foreign residence and trade, and in part from the general right and duty of the United States to protect its citizens and their property under the general principle, well recognized in international law, which is the general right of a government to send and land armed forces in a country for the protection of its citizens and their property when the government of the foreign country is unable or unwilling to insure such protection. (Borchard, the Diplomatic Protection of Citizens Abroad, pp. 448-453; Moore's Digest of International Law, Vol. VI, pp. 247–258.) The present American marine contingent at Shanghai was landed there in 1927 on account of disordered conditions in the Shanghai area endangering American lives and property, arising out of the advance of Chinese Nationalist troops. In addition to the American contingent at Shanghai, the British, French, Japanese, and Italian Governments also maintain armed contingents there. The number of American marines at present in Shanghai is 150 officers and 2,453 enlisted men, a total of 2,603. In considering, in the light of the treaty provisions and the general principle of international law referred to above, the question of the maintenance of American armed forces ashore in China, it must be remembered also that the situation of American nationals and the nationals of certain other powers in China is special because of the existence of the system of extra-territoriality under which these nationals are not subject to Chinese jurisdiction but to the jurisdiction of their own national authorities. Briefly stated, American armed forces are in China, as are those of other foreign countries, primarily by express treaty right and for the purpose of protecting the lives and property of their nationals. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS IN THE MARINE CORPS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR General HOLCOMB. Mr. Chairman, I submit for the record a table entitled "Appointment of officers of the Marine Corps during fiscal years 1937." Mr. UMSTEAD. That table may be inserted. (The statement referred to is as follows:) Appointment of officers of the Marine Corps during fiscal year 1937 |