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actual field operations. In our early history interference used to be the practice.

The Continental Congress changed generals a lot of times.

In the War Between the States President Lincoln changed generals a lot, but it has been my observation that as the country grew you have had less interference from the executive department.

I think writing into the bill a lot of superfluous and unnecessary prerequisites in this day and time might hinder national defense rather than enhance the security of this country.

That is all.

Mr. RICH. We are very happy to have had you with us, General Spaatz. We thank you for coming here, and we appreciate it very much.

The committee will stand adjourned until Thursday at 10 o'clock.

NATIONAL SECURITY ACT OF 1947

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1947

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON EXPENDITURES IN
THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS,

Washington, D. C.

The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., pursuant to adjournn.ent, in the Main Caucus Room of the Old House Office Building, Honorable Clare H. Hoffman (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. We will come to order.

Admiral, you may proceed in your own way. ment, I understand.

You have a state

STATEMENT OF FLEET ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ, U. S. N., NAVY DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Admiral NIMITZ. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: H. R. 2319 represents a sincere effort of the services to settle differences which have existed between them, in order to provide for increased national security. The bill represents a compromise, drawn up in a spirit of cocperation and mutual understanding, designed to provide the Nation with a defense organization adaptable to modern warfare.

The last war taught us many lessons which we should take into account in planning for the future. This bill incorporates these lessons. It gives legal status to those agencies which were found to be essential to the conduct of global war. It is geared to the increased tempo which modern weapons impose upon the conduct of war. It is sufficiently flexible to permit the ready incorporation of methods which future needs may dictate.

The bill provides for integration of the Departments of State, Army, Navy, and Air Force, through the National Security Council, to the extent necessary to keep our military policy in balance with our foreign policy. It legalizes, formalizes and amplifies the now existing committee of three consisting of the Secretaries of State, War and Navy, which is the genesis of a National Security Council. That is a forward-looking and necessary step.

The bill provides for what I believe is vitally needed top management. It is my concept that the President will control the decisions of the Secretary of National Defense on matters of great importance to the United States just as closely as he would corresponding decisions of any Secretary of a department of the Government. The President is the person ultimately responsible for decisions on matters of national security, and I cannot believe that a Secretary of National Defense would make any important decision without his approval.

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I do not anticipate that the Secretary of National Defense will involve himself in details of administration. I contemplate that the organization of his office will be small but that it will be staffed with the ablest civilians that he can obtain.

He is authorized to appoint not to exceed four civilian "special assistants." Officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force may be detailed to duty as personal aides but it is to be noted that these officers are specifically prohibited from functioning as a military staff for the Secretary. That is a function of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Under the direction of the Secretary of National Defense the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force will be administered as individual units by their respective Secretaries. It is my firm belief that the military departments must be separate and that the autonomy of each of the services must be preserved.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are given legal status in this bill. They will serve as the principal professional military advisors to the President and the Secretary of National Defense, both in their collective capacity and individually as the military heads of their respective services.

Their responsibilities will include consideration of those broad features which have a bearing on the strategic direction of our forces including strategic plans, logistic plans, and joint training of component forces. It is expected that each member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will keep his civilian chief (Secretary) fully informed of JCS activities and be guided by his civilian Chief's (Secretary's) policies. I would like to explain that in the field it is important that a theater commander exercise unified command so that he can make prompt operational decisions. At the seat of government, where long-range over-all strategic plans are under consideration, the need for speed is subordinate to the need for careful study and sound decision. A wrong strategic decision might lead to national disaster. A wrong tactical decision would, at worst, lead to the defeat of the tactical units involved. For instance, the strategic decision to attack Russia, on the part of the German High Command, was a vital factor in the defeat of Germany.

I believe that with the authority which is vested in the Secretary of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff can reach decisions in the minimum of time. I do not guarantee that the Joint Chiefs of Staff will always have unanimous opinions, but the function of the Secretary will be to hear the divergent views and then either make a decision or make a recommendation to the President thereon. cannot believe that the Secretary of National Defense will ever make a decision on a controversial matter of critical importance to the national security without consulting the President and reporting to him the divergent views.

I

An excellent provision in this bill is the establishment of a Joint Staff under the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Heretofore, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been supported by various Joint Boards and committees to which were assigned the responsibility for preparing studies or for drawing up plans.

The responsibilities of the individual members have been to their respective services rather than solely to the Joint Chiefs.

Under this bill, the responsibility of the Joint Staff is to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I believe this will expedite the functioning of the

Joint Chiefs and minimize failure to reach unanimous decisions. The Navy quota of the Joint Staff will include officers of the Marine Corps, and other corps as required.

The War and Navy Departments accept the principle of unity of command in a theater of operation. This principle was written into the publication called "Joint Action" which served as doctrine before the war.

As expressed in that publication, unity of command devolved upon the senior commander of the engaged service having paramount interest in the operation. It was not as clear-cut as it should have been, as became apparent with the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This deficiency, however, was soon corrected. Orders were issued by President Roosevelt early in 1942 in which global areas of possible military operations were divided into logical theaters of operation. An officer was designated to command all of the armed forces assigned to each theater. The theater commander received his orders from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and implemented them by directing the efforts of the composite forces available to him.

This principle has been continued by means of a recent Joint Chiefs of Staff directive which, with the approval of the President, established regional unified commands in areas outside the continental limits of the United States, assigned their tasks and designated the individual commanders thereof.

This would be made permanent by one of the provisions of the bill now under consideration which states that the Joint Chiefs of Staff will "establish unified commands in stragetic areas when such unified commands are in the interests of national security."

A desirable feature of any organization for the unification of the Armed Forces is to have a copy in which the civilian and military leaders of the services meet on matters of broad policy. This is provided for by the War Council wherein the military heads and the Secretaries of each of the three services meet under the chairmanship of the Secretary of National Defense. The War Council advises the Secretary on broad policy relating to the Armed Forces and on other matters where a combination of civilian and military viewpoints is required.

This bill provides for the efficient use of the Nation's resources in time of war. It is designed to prevent repetition of the confusion that existed during the first years of the last war.

Undoubtedly the problems of the greatest magnitude we faced then were in the field of logistics.

We all remember the critical shortages of certain basic materials and the hasty efforts to gear ourselves for the task ahead. To coordinate our production efforts there were created wartime agencies, which saved the day for us.

We have consolidated this lesson in the organization proposed in this bill.

The Munitions Board and the National Security Resources Board should ensure the efficient mobilization and use of the Nation's industrial capacity and manpower. Logistic plans will be implemented by the National Security Resources Board and the Munitions Board utilizing all of the industrial, economic, and material "know-how" necessary to support these plans. This integration of our logistic and manpower requirements is an important feature of the bill.

We seek to eliminate harmful duplication between the services. It is my belief, that, before the war ended, there was far less duplication between the services than has been occasionally alleged. For instance, there was not enough air transport furnished by the Air Transport Command to meet the needs of the Army, nor was there enough furnished by the Naval Air Transport Service to meet the needs of the Navy. We did not have enough beds in all of the hospitals combined to meet the estimated needs. We had Army airfields alongside of Navy airfields in islands all over the Pacific, but there' were not enough combined airfield facilities to meet our requirements. Lack of suitable disposal areas in some instances caused heavy plane losses. Instantly, as the war ended, there was too much, of course; it was all surplus. But that abundance was a major factor in winning the war. I am certain that actual duplication in the purchase of supplies will in fact be a very small percentage of the over-all purchases. Nevertheless, in this bill, we do seek to and have set up the machinery to eliminate any harmful duplication that may exist between the services.

We must endeavor to make our weapons better than those of any possible enemy. This bill sets up a Research and Development Board to foster and coordinate scientific research as it relates to our national security. Scientific research for the fighting services will be conducted under its cognizance, and the results will be translated into new weapons and new tactics. Allocation of responsibility for specific research programs will be made among the military departments by the Research and Development Board.

The bill will establish a central intelligence agency charged with responsibility for collection of information from all available sources, evaluation of that information, and dissemination thereof. This agency is intended to secure complete coverage of the wide field of intelligence and should minimize duplication.

The bill recognizes that military intelligence is a composite of authenticated and evaluated information covering not only the armed forces establishment of a possible enemy but also his industrial capacity, racial traits, religious beliefs, and other related aspects. The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency may be either a civilian or a commissioned officer of the armed forces.

I believe that this bill sets up the kind of top management which will make the most effective use of the military resources of the country, but I do not look for immediate economies. In time of war, however, the expenditure of our resources for military purposes as provided in this bill cannot help but produce appreciable savings.

I have touched only briefly on the features of the bill. The officers who participated in its drafting will present to you a detailed analysis of its provisions.

In my opinion this bill, when taken in its entirety, will provide us with more effective organizational structure for our national security. I recommend it to your favorable consideration.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you care to make further comment?

Admiral NIMITZ. I understand that my statement has been read, and I am prepared to answer questions or to try to answer them, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Wadsworth, you will have to leave shortly to attend a meeting of the Rules Committee. I think the other members will yield to you.

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