with asbestos siding; that is about as low-maintenance-type structure as you can build for that kind of facility. Admiral CHEW. And that again is a safety item, Senator Engle, because the present safety aids operate on 60-cycle current, and the present converters, and the hodgepodge of equipment are not reliable, and this was determined to be the cheapest way of doing it. Senator ENGLE. I am relieved to know you have in mind that we may get the old heave-ho. Admiral CHEW. Yes, sir. Admiral PELTIER. However, on Okinawa you have typhoon conditions that you have to take into consideration. Senator STENNIS. All right. Let us come back to Okinawa. That is page 67. NAVAL AIR FACILITY, NAHA, OKINAWA, RYUKYU ISLANDS Admiral CHEW. Yes, sir. The fifth project consists of four line items for a total amount of $5,943,000 at the Naval Air Facility, Naha, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. The mission of this station is similar to those of the other U.S. Navy stations in the Western Pacific area. The Navy is responsible for providing its own "housekeeping" facilities as a tenant on a U.S. Air Force base, but uses the main airfield facilities in common with the Air Force. Senator STENNIS. You have $4,358,000 of appropriated money for family housing. Admiral CHEW. The first line item is for 200 units of family housing, Mr. Chairman. I believe it is plainly evident that the need for these family housing units is very urgent. To include this line item in a small, tight and austere program, and to forego efforts to secure other essential operational facilties in favor of this item, I think, is indicative of its pressing need. Married officers and enlisted men, separated from their families for extended period in other than wartimes, do not perform well,_and we have a terrific situation. As you went through in Okinawa, I am sure they showed you the 31 quonset huts at the naval air facility which are almost a disgrace. Senator STENNIS. Yes. Admiral CHEW. This is to provide housing for our personnel in Okinawa. The second line item is for construction of barracks, at the estimated cost of $809,000, for berthing 332 enlisted men. There are now permanent barracks for housing 370 enlisted men. However, approximately 568 permanently based enlisted men are living in quonset huts at the station. In this climate the huts deteriorate rapidly and afford poor protection against the prevalent dampness and torrential rains. Completion of the new barracks will serve to remove the present berthing inequities and boost the morale of the men serving on this remote island. The substandard huts will then be demolished. The third line item is for construction of messhall at the estimated cost of $298,000. The existing messhall consists of World War II quonset huts loaned to the Navy by the Air Force, located about 1 mile from the existing permanent Navy barracks. The huts are not weathertight, are not structurally sound and are in a condition to be surveyed. The Air Force messhalls cannot accommodate the Navy's requirement. The proposed messhall will be designed to serve 702 enlisted men. The final line item is for construction of bachelor officers' quarters at the estimated cost of $478,000. Existing BOQ's are structurally substandard and extremely overcrowded as they provide less than 50 percent of the standard space allowance. One of these BOQ's is adequate for accommodating 40 officers as compared to the estimated requirement for 104 spaces. The proposed BOQ will relieve this deficiency to a considerable extent by providing space for 50 officers. Senator STENNIS. We have to settle a basic situation here. Mr. Clerk, we want to find out with respect to the request of the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army, if there is any for this Okinawa situation. I was amazed, gentlemen, to find for several years each of the main, the principal, political parties had had it in their platform on each election that they wanted to go back, to be a part of Japan or, that is, affiliate with Japan, and I just do not know. They seem to be dissatisfied. I could imagine what was there since we went in, and to see what was there since, and the payrolls involved. But I have looked through your items here, and I think the detail is all right, but the basic question is still looming in my mind as to how far we are going to go on these matters. Admiral CHEW. Well, I think, Mr. Chairman, as Admiral Wilson said, we have given this every consideration as to our permanency, and this is a genuine requirement, no question about it. Senator STENNIS. Some say that Formosa is indispensable to our protection, it is our frontier, and we will have to support it; and others say, no, Okinawa; and someone else, thought we had in Subic Bay, where we could take care of most of the situations that could arise. Admiral WILSON. That is a considerable distance there between Subic Bay and Senator STENNIS. I know. But I am concerned about our political situations, if we may classify it that way, and I know you are. I think you ought to make a special showing on that or get the State Department to make a special showing on it for us here, and wrap it all up. Mr. Clerk, put it down. What do you suggest on that, Admiral? Admiral WILSON. I certainly see no objection to it. Senator STENNIS. I mean on this whole question, on this whole problem here? Is there anything you want to say, or someone else in the Navy, say something about it? Admiral CHEW. I would suggest, Mr. Chairman, if it is agreeable with Admiral Wilson, that we provide a statement for the committee on this. Senator STENNIS. I think it will take more than a statement. Anyone who has been over there gets an impression and a feeling, and I just do not think anything can be more uncertain than what our tenure is or what our situation may be out there. Admiral WILSON. I know of no inclination anywhere in the Government to change our position with regard to Okinawa. I think we are on pretty firm ground there. Senator STENNIS. Well, if the Navy filed a special statement on that, gentlemen, I would appreciate it. Admiral CHEW. All right, sir. Senator STENNIS. We will see what else is to be said, too. The Air Force is on Okinawa? Admiral CHEW. Yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. The Navy, do you have some Marines there? Admiral CHEW. Yes, sir. Senator STENNIS. No Army? Admiral CHEW. There are Army service troops, yes, sir; and they are intending to increase. Senator STENNIS. All right. NAVAL STATION, ROOSEVELT ROADS, P.R. Admiral CHEW. The sixth project is at the Naval Station, Roosevelt Roads, P.R., for completion of taxiway at the estimated cost of $460,000. This station serves the operating forces similar to our other oversea activities in support of patrol, carrier, utility, and other fleet aircraft. It also supports combined air, surface, and submarine exercises in operational training with guided missiles. There is a gap of 2,250 feet in the taxiway leading from the northeast-southwest runway. In a previous austere construction program a taxiway was built from the runway end to the maintenance hangar, leaving a gap in the taxiway paralleling the runway and to the refueling islands. Jet squadrons are assigned to this station with specific training objectives which must be attained in very limited periods of intensive training. Aircraft must now taxi on the runway to the takeoff position, which is a very dangerous operation. In addition, jet planes, after landing, must taxi a circuitous route to reach the refueling stations, thereby slowing the training procedures. The proposed line item will provide the missing pavement and correct the present operating deficiencies. Senator STENNIS. All right, Admiral. NAVAL STATION, ROTA, SPAIN Admiral CHEW. This is for two items at Rota, Spain, at an estimated cost of $2,414,000; the first one a small item for navigational aids, putting buoys in the harbor; and the second one for family housing, which is again, like Golcuk, Turkey, paying for Commodity Credit housing. Senator STENNIS. What is that again now? This is bookkeeping, you say? Admiral CHEW. Yes, sir. We have to pay the Commodity Credit Corporation now. Previously Senator STENNIS. Have these houses already been built? Admiral CHEW. No, sir. These are to be authorized under the Commodity Credit program. Senator STENNIS. But you have to pay in advance? Senator STENNIS. Well, I was over in Rota a year ago last fall, and I did not know you were going to have a family housing project there. Admiral CHEW. As a matter of fact, Mr. Chairman, we even have information that the mayors of the local towns have appealed to the Embassy to provide housing because of the situation existing as a result of the in-migrant Spanish help, and the personnel on the base, sir. Senator STENNIS. The what, the in-migrant Spanish help? Admiral CHEW. Yes, sir; the people who are working, laborers working on the base, they have increased the requirement for housing in the area. Consequently, we need to house our own personnel in order not to have them take from the Spanish their available housing. Senator STENNIS. Mr. Nease, didn't we go to Rota? I know Senator Case went there once, but was he there last fall? Mr. NEASE. No, I was there in September. I believe he was there last year. They had 20 percent of the people living on the economy at the time, and they thought they had sufficient housing, but they tell me now the situation has changed as Admiral Chew just mentioned now. So, apparently it has changed between September and now because there was no requirement in September. Senator STENNIS. What about that, Admiral Chew? Admiral CHEW. We have a requirement for 741 units, and we have 496 available; actually of those 496, 182 were built with military construction, and 304 specifically built by Commodity Credit. The present deficiency is 245 units. This is for the construction of only à hundred units to be conservative in our programing. Senator STENNIS. As I recall, that is where I saw some houses that looked mighty nice. That was in the fall of 1958. Were any of them constructed then? Admiral CHEW. Yes. Admiral PELTIER. They were constructed and occupied. Admiral CHEW. Our first increment of this same type house. Senator STENNIS. Yes. Admiral Peltier, when did you leave this project, I mean, this whole Spanish-you were over there a while. Admiral PELTIER. No, I was over there, initially around 1953, but I was there for just a short time while they were setting it up. NAVAL AIR FACILITY, SIGONELLA, SICILY, ITALY Admiral CHEW. Page 70, Mr. Chairman, this is for the two small items in the amount of $347,000, for Sigonella, Sicily. One item is for construction of an aircraft jet fuel storage facility at an estimated cost of $133,000. The second line item is for Marine detachment facilities at the estimated cost of $214,000. A 69-man Marine force is assigned to the facility for the security of the ordnance complex. They require housing, messing, and administrative space. The U.S. Navy main housing and messing facilities are about 7 miles distant from the airfield over a narrow, winding road which takes 25 to 35 minutes to traverse by bus. It is impractical to transport all personnel from the field to the messhall and back for serving the noon meal. An auxiliary mess is required at the field to accommodate 400 personnel for the noon meal and a lesser number of duty personnel for other meals. There are no existing facilities at the field which can meet this requirement. The proposed facilities are necessary to serve these several purposes. COMMUNICATION FACILITIES The final oversea class is communication facilities. There are 15 line items at 8 stations in this group for a total amount of $12,318,000. These include seven line items at six stations for $2,826,000 in section 201 of the bill; and 2 classified stations having eight line items for $9,492,000 in section 202 of the bill. NAVAL RADIO STATION, BARRIGADA, GUAM, MARIANAS ISLANDS The first unclassified project is at the Naval Radio Station, Barrigada, Guam, in the Marianas Islands, for construction of antennas. at the estimated cost of $68,000. This item is required for direct, directional, more powerful and optimum communications for control and command of 7th Fleet units operating in the highly strategic area between Japan and the South China Sea. Utilizing powerful radio transmitters already installed, the antennas to be provided by this project will permit simultaneous radioteletypewriter communications which will link the commander of the 7th Fleet to the commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet and the Chief of Naval Operations via Naval Communication Station, Guam. This project is urgently required for fleet operations in a vital area not adequately covered by existing antennas. NAVAL RADIO STATION, FINEGAYEN, GUAM, MARIANAS ISLANDS The second project is at the Naval Radio Station, Finegayen, Guam, for construction of a radio receiver facility at the estimated cost of $469,000. This station is the receiving activity of the Naval Communication Station, Guam. The project is for construction of a receiver building, new antennas and an emergency generator plant which are required for operation of special radio equipment. It is required for the same purpose as the project for the station at Adak, Alaska, which I outlined previously. The new weapons systems employed by units of the fleet in ASW and associated fleet operations require the rapid means of communication proposed. Senator STENNIS. The same testimony that you gave a while ago generally would apply? Admiral CHEW. Would apply to all of these. NAVAL SECURITY GROUP ACTIVITY, GALETA ISLAND, C.Z. The third project is at the naval security group activity, Galeta Island, C.Z., for construction of a radio direction finder facility at the estimated cost of $1,750,000. This project is similar to two others in this program for the stations at Skaggs Island, Calif., and Winter |