HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE NATIONAL 84075 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1951 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1952 THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1951 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to call, in the main caucus room, Senate Office Building, Hon. Joseph C. O'Mahoney (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators O'Mahoney, Hayden, Maybank, Hill, Ferguson, Wherry, Young, and Thye. STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN O'MAHONEY Senator O'MAHONEY. The committee is now in session. This meeting has been called as a preliminary to the detailed examination by the committee of the budget estimates which have been sent to the Congress. The fact that in the House of Representatives the committee has been at work for more than 4 weeks dealing with the estimates presented by the Navy alone is sufficient evidence of the magnitude of the task that is presented to us. TOTAL OBLIGATIONAL AUTHORITY For the year 1951, Congress has appropriated something more than $48 billion for the Defense Establishment. The budget which is before us now accounts for $57,604,254,390, and that is exclusive of the estimate which will arrive later on with respect to public works construction. When the budget itself was submitted, it was there stated that the amount for public works construction for defense would be $41⁄2 billion. We understand it is going to be considerably more than that now. But in any event, the figures indicate clearly how difficult is the task which has been laid upon the Defense Establishment. It was felt that we should have this preliminary session, at which the Under Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the three branches of Defense, and their aides and assistants, and the head of the Munitions Board should have the opportunity to tell the committee and the country the steps which have been taken to scrutinize the expenditure of this tremendous fund. When it is recalled that the appropriations for the entire operation of the Federal Government in 1939 for Army, Navy, and the United States Air Corps as it was then, for the cost of Congress and the courts, for the executive branch of the Government, for veterans' aid, for foreign responsibilities, and for all the expenditures, including interest upon the national debt, amounted to only $10,300,000,000, it |