Appropriation Bill for 1941 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS THIRD SESSION ON H. R. 8319 A BILL MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENTS 212175 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1940 EX OFFICIO MEMBERS FROM COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION OF DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR APPROPRIATIONS KEY PITTMAN, Nevada PAT HARRISON, Mississippi II HIRAM JOHNSON, California EVERARD H. SMITH, Clerk STATE, COMMERCE AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENTS APPRO PRIATION BILL, 1941 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1940 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a. m., in the hearing room, Capitol, Hon. Kenneth McKellar (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators McKellar (chairman), Russell, McCarran, Bankhead, O'Mahoney, Truman, Burke, Byrnes, Pittman, and Lodge. STATE DEPARTMENT STATEMENTS OF GEORGE S. MESSERSMITH, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE; BRECKINRIDGE LONG, ASSISTANT SECRETARY IN CHARGE; CHARLES B. HOSMER, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO MR. LONG; EDWARD YARDLEY, DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL; MRS. ELLA A. LOGSDON, CHIEF, OFFICE OF FISCAL AND BUDGET AFFAIRS GENERAL STATEMENT Senator MCKELLAR. Mr. Messersmith, will you make your statement first? Mr. MESSERSMITH. Mr. Long is now assistant secretary in charge, and he will present the situation. Senator MCKELLAR. You may proceed, Mr. Long. Mr. LONG. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, we appear before you in the matter of the regular appropriation bill for the Department of State for 1941. This bill will authorize the expenses of the Department of State for the coming fiscal year. When the bill was considered by the House of Representatives there were deleted from it various items. The attitude of the Department about these items will be explained to you at your pleasure this morning. In addition to the oral explanations, I will submit for your information a brief but carefully prepared typewritten statement, which I believe will be of assistance to the committee in its deliberations. In addition to that, and in general support of the Department's attitude on the items which have been cut from the bill by the House, as well as giving a general idea of the needs of the Department for the coming year, I would like to point out a few facts. 1. The Department of State is the smallest of all the Executive Departments from the point of view of personnel. 1 2. The cost to the Government for the maintenance of the Department of State is less than for that of any Executive Department. Senator MCKELLAR. Mr. Secretary, do you not think that it is quite a distinction to have done such good work at so little cost? Mr. LONG. I beg your pardon, Senator? Senator MCKELLAR. You said the expenses of your Department were less than those of any other department. Mr. LONG. Yes. Senator MCKELLAR. Do you not think it is quite a distinction for your Department that such good work has been done at so low a cost? Mr. LONG. Not necessarily, Senator, but I thought those facts might nevertheless be kept in mind. Senator MCKELLAR. Very well. Proceed. RESPONSIBILITIES CARRIED BY DEPARTMENT Mr. LONG. 3. The responsibilities carried by the Department of State at this time can hardly be underestimated or understated. The exigencies in the world, created by the war in Europe and by the war in Asia, and the reflections of those two struggles in the relations of this country with the American republics to the south, create a situation which may be unparalleled in our history and create responsibilities which to a very large extent are carried by the Department of State. HOURS OF OVERTIME As an index of the work now being carried by the Department I would like to call to your attention that the Department has worked 78,985 hours of overtime from September 1, 1939, to January 31, 1940. That is during the first 5 months of the war period. This does not include overtime which has been adjusted in the form of compensating leaves of absence. As this statement might not prove enlightening to the committee without information showing a basis of comparison with overtime during the same period in recent years, I am inserting a table showing this information. The table shows that there are 78,985 overtime hours in the 5month period referred to; that there were 52,302 hours of overtime in the corresponding months of 1939, and that there were 45,643 hours of overtime in the same period of 1938. Senator MCKELLAR. The table may be inserted in the record at this point. (The table is as follows:) Average overtime per officer or employee-1940: 75.08 hours, 10.67 days; 1939: 56.48 hours, 8.11 days, 1938: 51.69 hours, 7.45 days. INCREASE IN VOLUME OF CORRESPONDENCE Mr. LONG. The volume of correspondence has increased enormously. This increase so accurately reflects the increased burdens and responsibilities of the Department that I feel sure the committee will be interested in the following comparative statements on this subject, which I ask to have placed in the record at this point. Senator MCKELLAR. That may be done. (The tables are as follows:) NOTE. Attention should be invited to the fact that the left-hand column covers a period of only 5 months, and exceeds in volume the 8 months' period immediately preceding. The 2 right-hand columns cover full calendar years. NOTE. Attention should be invited to the fact that the left-hand column covers a period of only 5 months and the second column covers the 8 months' period immediately preceding. The 2 right-hand columnscover full calendar years. OVERTIME APPLIES TO ENTIRE DEPARTMENT Mr. MCCARRAN. Before you go into that, Mr. Long. Does the overtime you spoke of apply to your clerical help right down the line? Mr. LONG. Yes. It applies to the whole Department. Senator MCCARRAN. It applies to the whole Department; it reflects the activity of the whole Department? |