SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL NATIONAL DEFENSE

APPROPRIATION BILL, 1943

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1942

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 committee room, the Capitol, Hon. Kenneth McKellar (chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators McKellar, Hayden, Overton, Thomas of Oklahoma, McCarran, Nye, Holman, and Brooks.

NAVY DEPARTMENT

NAVAL AVIATION

STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES V. FORRESTAL, UNDER SECRETARY OF THE NAVY ACCOMPANIED BY REAR ADMIRAL A. H. VAN KEUREN, UNITED STATES NAVY; REAR ADMIRAL J. S. McCAIN, UNITED STATES NAVY; REAR ADMIRAL E. G. ALLEN, UNITED STATES NAVY; AND REAR ADMIRAL R. E. DAVISON, UNITED STATES NAVY

Senator MCKELLAR. Mr. Secretary, we have before us the second supplemental national defense appropriation bill for 1943, H. R. 7672, which has already been passed by the House, and in which your Department is very greatly interested. We will be glad to have any statement from you that you care to make.

I may state in the very beginning that I understand that the House has appropriated the amounts that you wanted and have recommended, and much of it is for airplanes and for my part, I am inclined to think that the sooner and the faster we build aircraft in this country, the better, and I am almost content to go sight unseen on the question of aircraft; but if there is that or any other question that you have that you want to bring before the committee, the committee will be glad to hear you.

Mr. FORRESTAL. I do not think that I ought to take your time, Mr. Chairman, unnecessarily.

AMOUNT IN BILL FOR NAVY DEPARTMENT AND AMOUNT FOR NAVAL AIRCRAFT

As you know, the total amount of the cash requested in this bill is about $5,600,000,000, of which, as you say, the major item is for aircraft.

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Senator McKELLAR. Just what is for aircraft?

Mr. FORRESTAL. $2,862,000,000, which represents in terms of planes, 14,611 airplanes. The balance is for current expenditures. In addition, the bill makes available for expenditure funds previously appropriated for the construction of 1,900,000 tons of combatant vessels, of which a substantial part is for aircraft carriers, and certain small craft and auxiliary vessels.

WHEN PLANES PROVIDED IN BILL WILL BE OBTAINED

Senator MCKELLAR. By what time will you get the airplanes that will be appropriated for in this bill, what time do you estimate?

Mr. FORRESTAL. I think that is difficult to say. I am always reluctant to hazard a guess. I do not like to hazard a guess.

▸ Senator MCKELLAR. I would not ask you to do that, but merely to give us your best judgment as to about what time.

Mr. FORRESTAL. Well, you see, these airplanes are added on to our 27,500 current schedule of planes.

Senator McKELLAR. I understand.

Mr. FORRESTAL. I should doubt whether we would get these planes before-well, they would begin to come in about the end of next year. Senator McKELLAR. 1943?

Mr. FORRESTAL. Yes.

Senator MCKELLAR. And the major portion of them would be probably in 1944 and the first half of 1944?

Mr. FORRESTAL. Yes. This may be a very unsound guess, but that is my best present guess.

Senator McKELLAR. Yes.

Mr. FORRESTAL. The reason I have to guess is this: In order to produce the number of planes that we are shooting for next year, you will have to maintain the productive capacity to make planes. You will have to place orders to accomplish that and, by the end of next year, we will have productive capacity for a very large number of airplanes.

TYPES OF PLANES TO BE PROCURED WITH FUNDS IN BILL

Senator MCCARRAN. What types of planes are these?

Mr. FORRESTAL. There are many types-dive bombers, observation planes, fighters, and some, I think, large land bombing planes, B-24's.

Senator OVERTON. And training planes?

Mr. FORRESTAL. Yes; of course, training planes.

STATUS OF PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE FOR NAVAL AIRCRAFT

Senator MCKELLAR. Are you pretty well up with your time schedule?

Mr. FORRESTAL. Pardon me.

Senator MCKELLAR. Are they being produced according to schedule?

Mr. FORRESTAL. The Navy schedule of production is about on time. Senator MCKELLAR. About on time?