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Mr. BARASH. How many local nationals do we now have? Colonel REGAN. A total as of July 1 of 900 local nationals, sir. Mr. BARASH. With a yearly estimate of $1.5 million and 900 local nationals, that figure seems low.

Colonel REGAN. That was just an estimate, and that was the estimate given to Congressman Holifield today,

Mr. BARASH. That is all.

Mr. MONAGAN. Mr. Sidman, when we were coming along the highway in Belgium we saw a store that had a sign on it "U.S. Surplus Property" and there was an American flag on it. I saw it and Mr. Romney said he saw that one and also one other. Are you familiar with the fact that some of these stores exist?

Mr. SIDMAN. Yes. You will even find some in France. You are talking about a yard or a store?

Mr. MONAGAN. This was a regular store on the main street.

Mr. SIDMAN. You see less and less of them now. There were a lot of French and Belgian surplus stores after World War II when there were a lot of items available like toothpaste and so forth and a lot of stores catered just to such items, but now there are less and less of them. If you saw two you saw a lot today but they still exist. And some of them keep the same name but though they say "U.S. Surplus" they don't sell U.S. surplus, they just sell cheap things and you may not find any U.S. items in the store.

Mr. MONAGAN. Is it possible that the items that go to public sales could be acquired by individual purchasers and put into stores of this kind?

Mr. SIDMAN. Yes, sir; but in general in Europe they don't have surplus stores as in the States, especially in France, because it is very rare we sell them clothing or toothpaste that are very rare items. Mr. MONAGAN. It was a bit of a shock, being engaged in this type of investigation and with all the protestations that nothing useful was getting out of the Government's hands, to see this store a few miles out of Brussels.

Mr. SIDMAN. You may go in there and find soap and everything else, but the French domain is selling a lot of U.S. property and equipment they bought with their own funds in the early days and they are selling a lot of the same property we are selling ourselves.

Mr. MONAGAN. So in your opinion the demand for salable property in stores of that type would be very limited?

Mr. SIDMAN. Yes, sir. I saw a lot of those stores 15 or 20 years ago but they have just about vanished.

Mr. MONAGAN. I am talking about your experience in selling excess property.

Mr. SIDMAN. I can't recall soap or clothing coming up in the last 5 or 10 years.

Mr. MONAGAN. Thank you very much, gentlemen.

Before I close the hearing, Colonel, you furnished us with this listing or recapitulation of data on sales. This is marked "Confidential." That is the present classification?

Colonel REGAN. Yes, sir.

Mr. MONAGAN. Of course this may change in time, but the reason is you are negotiating sales and this information should not be made. available generally?

Colonel REGAN. That is correct.

Mr. MONAGAN. Is there any testimony that you have given that would be included under this classification?

Colonel REGAN. The only testimony I have given that would be included would be when I stated the estimated fair market value in the case of Toul, Déols, and Jeanne d'Arc.

Mr. MONAGAN. We will accept this for the file and not put it in the record. But in the three instances you have just referred to, those have been completed to the point that that information could remain in the record, could it not?

Colonel REGAN. No, sir.

Mr. MONAGAN. Of course the record is subject to editing by the Defense Department anyway, but we will have it taken out just to

make sure.

Colonel REGAN. By direction, we do not furnish this to USAREUR or COMZ. We only furnish it by letter to the Ambassador and General Burchinal, deputy commander, of EUCOM.

Mr. MONAGAN. I will ask the reporter to go over her notes and take out these figures of estimated present fair market value with reference to Toul, Déols, and Jeanne d'Arc Hospital.

I particularly appreciate General Clay being here and the testimony of you gentlemen. It certainly has helped us a good deal in the study of this problem. It has so much interest and there are so many ramifications to it that we tend to exceed our own authority at times.

We will adjourn the hearing.

(Thereupon, at 1:03 p.m., the hearing was adjourned, and the subcommittee proceeded to make a tour of the Evreux Air Force Base conducted by Col. William H. Tarver, the Evreux base commander. The tour was concluded at 2 p.m.)

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APPENDIXES

APPENDIX 1

TOTAL ACQUISITION COST OF REMOVABLE RELATED PERSONAL PROPERTY (NOT INCLUDING LABOR) FOR

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TOTAL ACQUISITION COST OF REMOVABLE RELATED PERSONAL PROPERTY (NOT INCLUDING LABOR) FOR PHALSBOURG, AB, FRANCE-Continued

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