Page images
PDF
EPUB

Mr. ANDERSON. Yes, and under the so-called merger bill, I think the Secretary of Defense is going to find it necessary to insure the fact that the services do standardize on items that are common to all services, so that joint utilization in the field becomes practical rather than almost an impossibility.

Admiral BooNE. I might say that we are having very splendid cooperation between the Army and Navy. The respective surgeons are intimate friends and I don't think we are pulling apart at all. But at the same time, we say one is a male and one is a female, and we have special functions in life. [Laughter.]

Admiral OwEN. Could I take this opportunity to extend an invitation to this committee to visit what I consider is a very great project, the rehabilitation and amputation facilities established at Mare Island Hospital during the war? During the first of the war this veterans rehabilitation center manufactured and fitted over 1,800 men with artificial prostheses. Following the war and following the rehabilitation of these men, 85 percent of whom have gone back to work, we have recently received a contract from the Veterans' Bureau to send their men to us in order to keep this installation functioning. We take men from the Letterman General Hospital. The general in command of the Letterman General Hospital sends us Army releases for various types of prostheses.

If you gentlemen are in Mare Island while you are here, I think you would be interested to see that.

Mr. ANDERSON. Admiral, we deeply appreciate the invitation and I hope it will be possible, but our time is crowded. We have a very full schedule and I am afraid at this time we won't be able to visit all of the installations of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and Air Forces, which have been discussed at this hearing. You can see that we are going to have a couple of full days. If it is possible to get to see this installation, we would be delighted.

Admiral BOONE. One of the representatives one not here todaybrought out yesterday that the Army and Navy did not give up anything once they had it. I should like as a medical representative of the commander, western sea frontier, to enumerate some hospitals that have been given up on the west coast: Farragut, Idaho; Corvallis and White in Oregon; Sun Valley in Idaho; Shoemaker in California; Arrowhead Springs in California; Banning and Beaumont in California; Spadra (annex) in California; Rancho Santa Fe (annex) in California; and United States naval hospital in Astoria, Oreg.

Mr. ANDERSON. Thank you very much.

Admiral BOONE. May I say something as a physician, and may it be off the record?

Mr. ANDERSON. Off the record.

(A discussion off the record followed.)

Captain LYON. NATS runs three scheduled flights each week, hospital flights, trans-Pacific from Guam to Oakland, and also three transcontinental flights from Moffett Field to Washington, where patients are distributed to Boston, various hospitals in that area.

We also run two hospital flights a week from Alaska to Moffett, where the patients are distributed in this area.

Mr. ANDERSON. Did you have a further question, Mr. Donohue? Mr. DONOHUE. Yes.

Captain, we have received a statement from the Army relative to feasibility of effecting consolidations, at least the administrative functions, of the NATS and the ATC. Would you care to give any comments yourself on that point?

Captain LYON. As I understand the unification law which was just passed by Congress, it stated that the Navy would retain Air Transport to meet the needs of the Naval Establishment.

If we are going to maintain Air Transport to meet the needs of the Naval Establishment, we must have our own administrative control. Our argument is that we need a nucleus of Naval Air Transport, the same as we need a nucleus of battleships, submarines, and everything else. That has been made law and as far as we are concerned, we intend to obey it.

Mr. ANDERSON. Thank you very much, Captain.

Admiral BOONE. I might say I have never known that we have lost any patients on the air transportation, and we have received many letters of appreciation from families of the patients.

(Witnesses excused.)

Mr. DONOHUE. I have one more question, Mr. Chairman, in relation to the Marine Corps.

I would like to know whether or not there are any Marine Reserve training flying facilities in this area?

Mr. ANDERSON. Will you give your name, sir?

TESTIMONY OF COL. H. B. LIVERSEDGE, DIRECTOR OF TWELFTH MARINE RESERVE DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.

Mr. DONOHUE. Will you give the flying activities and the ground activities?

Colonel LIVERSEDGE. I am a director of the Marine Corps Reserves in the twelfth district, which corresponds to the Twelfth Naval District.

Now, aviation does not come under me, but I happen to know that there is one air squadron operating from the Oakland Municipal Airport.

Mr. DONOHUE. Is that the space that the Navy has made available there?

Colonel LIVERSEDGE. Yes, sir. The Marine Reserve units in this area occupy that space jointly with the Navy, the Naval Reserve armory at Treasure Island, also at Oakland, Calif. We contemplate using the naval armory at Fresno, Calif., and we contemplate joint use at Stockton of Naval Reserve armory there.

Mr. ANDERSON. Then, it is your policy, as far as the Reserve program is concerned, to operate jointly with the Navy, use the same facilities?

Colonel LIVERSEDGE. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANDERSON. Is that what you wanted?

Mr. DONOHUE. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANDERSON. All right. That is all, Colonel. Thank you, sir. (Witness excused.)

Mr. DONOHUE. I have one question to be directed to the War Department in relation to the Letterman General Hospital. Will you take care of that, Colonel Breckinridge?

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. I will do my best, sir.

TESTIMONY OF LT. COL. W. N. BRECKINRIDGE, INSTALLATION BRANCH, SERVICE, SUPPLY, AND PROCUREMENT DIVISION, WAR DEPARTMENT GENERAL STAFF, WASHINGTON, D. C.— Recalled

Mr. DONOHUE. There has been some statement here this morning from the Navy relative to the poor strategy of a hospital in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Bridge. What is the attitude of the Army, having in mind that the Letterman General Hospital is in that vicinity?

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. The strategic requirements are always taken into consideration in deciding on the retention of any installation. However, we are also forced to take into consideration the economic viewpoint. We feel that any major port should be backed up with a general hospital in its immediate vicinity, and we have so established general hospitals at each of our major ports, except New Orleans.

We have, as you gentlemen saw yesterday afternoon, a considerable establishment there with particular reference to the railroad yards and the docking facilities alongside them. I think anyone will grant that the Golden Gate Bridge is certainly a logical target. However, our plans for the peacetime set-up are based on our peacetime requirements and the maximum economy. The only thing that I can say is we hope they don't hit it.

Mr. DONOHUE. Now, Colonel, what is the attitude of the Army relative to the movement of patients by air or by train, and I would like to have you give an expression there also as to which, from a purely expense standpoint, is the more economical?

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. I don't have any figures that can answer that, but we feel that transportation by train is more economical.

Mr. DONOHUE. Have you or are you utilizing any air transport of patients from this part of the country to other parts of the country? Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. I can't answer that question. I don't know. I can find out for you.

I have just been informed that where small numbers of patients are involved and air transportation is available, air transportation is used. Mr. DONOHUE. I assume, as with the Navy, that in the case of the Army any air transport of patients is performed by the Air Transport Command?

Colonel BRECKENRIDGE. It would be, normally.
Mr. DONOHUE. That is all.

Mr. ANDERSON. Thank you very much, Colonel.
(Witness excused.)

Mr. ANDERSON. The committee will recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon.

(Thereupon, at 12:15 p. m., a recess was taken until 2 p. m. of the same day.)

AFTERNOON SESSION

(The subcommittees met at 2:10 p. m.)

Mr. ANDERSON. The meeting will please be in order. We have a rather tight schedule this afternoon, so I am going to request that the witnesses be as brief as possible. Congressman Rizley and I have an engagement to meet Mr. Holifield and visit Hunters Point and

Moffett Field, two of the installations that have been mentioned at this hearing.

Mr. Donohue, if you are ready to proceed, your first witness.

Mr. RIZLEY. Aren't you going to submit the additional matter on Port Hueneme?

Mr. DONOHUE. Oh, yes. The descriptive matter on Port Hueneme Construction Battalion Center, contained in a letter to Mr. Anderson from Vice Adm. J. B. Oldendorf, United States Navy, dated September 17, 1947, will be numbered exhibit 17.

Mr. ANDERSON. Without objection it will be made a part of the record at this point.

(The document above referred to, marked "Exhibit 17," is filed in connection with this record.)

Mr. DONOHUE. We also have a communication from the Commandant, Twelfth Naval District, to Chief of Naval Operations, concerning postwar plan for United States Naval Station, Treasure Island, San Francisco, Calif., dated May 29, 1947. That will be exhibit No. 17-A.

Mr. ANDERSON. Without objection it will be made a part of the record at this point.

(The document above referred to, marked "Exhibit 17-A," is filed in connection with this record.)

Mr. DONOHUE. There is also a memorandum, dated September 15, 1947, submitted by Rear Adm. J. C. Boone, United States Navy, which will be marked "Exhibit 17-B.”

Mr. ANDERSON. Without objection it will be made a part of the record.

(The document above referred to, marked "Exhibit 17-B," is filed in connection with this record.)

Mr. DONOHUE. Will all the gentlemen from the War Assets who are here this afternoon as witnesses, please come up to the table? TESTIMONY OF V. I. GRAHAM, DIRECTOR, PROPERTY MANAGEMENT DIVISION, OFFICE OF REAL PROPERTY DISPOSAL, ZONE VI, WAR ASSETS ADMINISTRATION, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.; THOMAS E. McCAULEY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, GENERAL DISPOSAL, SAN FRANCISCO REGION, WAR ASSETS ADMINISTRATION; WALTER F. BOYLEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NONINDUSTRIAL PROPERTY, ZONE VI, WAR ASSETS ADMINISTRATION; JESS LARSON, GENERAL COUNSEL, WAR ASSETS ADMINISTRATION, WASHINGTON, D. C.; AND ELMO L. BUTTLE, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, INDUSTRIAL DIVISION, WAR ASSETS ADMINISTRATION

Mr. DONOHUE. Gentlemen, we are interested in getting-first of all, will you identify yourselves to the stenographer and give her your name and position?

Mr. GRAHAM. V. I. Graham, Director of Property Management Division, Office of Real Property Disposal, Zone VI, San Francisco War Assets Administration.

Mr. MCCAULEY. Thomas E. McCauley, Deputy Director, General Disposal, San Francisco Region, War Assets Administration.

Mr. BOYLEN. Walter F. Boylen, Assistant Director, Non-Industrial Property, Zone VI, War Assets Administration.

Mr. LARSON. Jess Larson, General Counsel, War Assets Administration, Washington, D. C.

Mr. DONOHUE. Now, in the first instance, the committee would like to determine the total amount of the dispositions of real property through either the San Francisco regional office or the zone office, whichever one is charged with it, totals from the standpoint of the number of individual pieces of real property and the total from an acquisition-cost standpoint, and the current number of pieces of real property, and the current value of that real property.

Who is in position to furnish that information?

Mr. LARSON. Mr. Boylen can furnish that information insofar as the San Francisco region is concerned, which includes the nine counties of the bay area, on nonindustrial property.

Now, Mr. Buttle, who is out in the hallway and on his way in, has the list on industrial properties, and that is broken down by counties, the nine counties of the bay area.

Mr. DONOHUE. Let's proceed with the non-industrial-property figures.

Mr. BOYLEN. As far as the total acquisitions and the total amount disposed of, that will have to be submitted later. I have the current figures of what we still have on our inventories, and this is broken down into the amount disposed-first, broken down in classification and amount, whether airport or 05, or 07, whatever it might be, amount disposed and amount remaining, and then the amount unaccounted for, which shows stuff that we can't realize on, which might be roads or grading or something else that is charged in our inventory.

I will be glad to submit copy of this to the committee.

I might add for the record, that included in that is Camp Beale, which is charged to us. We have about $58,000,000 inventory, and 35 of that is Camp Beale, which we will not assume until the 15th of October. Is that the date?

Mr. GRAHAM. September 27.

Mr. DONOHUE. As of what date is this report?

Mr. BOYLEN. I think it is in the corner.

Mr. DONOHUE. September 10?

Mr. BOYLEN. September 10.

Mr. DONOHUE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to offer for the record exhibit 18 which is the Status Report of Nonindustrial Real Property. Mr. ANDERSON. Without objection, it will go into the record.

(The document above referred to, marked "Exhibit 18," is filed in connection with this record.)

Mr. DONOHUE. Now, Mr. Graham, do you have the information relative to the monthly cost for protection and maintenance on the real property that is held in these nine counties

Mr. GRAHAM. Yes, sir.

Mr. DONOHUE. That we have had reference to?

Mr. GRAHAM. My present costs for 24 installations is $88,000 per month. That has gone down from $111,000 in January.

Mr. DONOHUE. January of this year?

Mr. GRAHAM. Yes, sir, to $84,000 in June, and now it is back to $88,000 again, due to the assumption of two more facilities.

« PreviousContinue »