REF ID:A40306 

Matter Of Fact··. . ·· . By Josepli·&ndstewart Alsop' 

,Op,. The Presidents Desk. __ :»_"_·· -~_;,_ .. _,,, __ s_-r_·_tt __ ~_fJ_f_;_·s_-a_ . .;_..·1 

· ·WHEN' HE RETURNS to Presi .ent, ... n a comptete ~ ·force levels ~ all· th• servicf!S. 

'\\Tashington from his vacation, look" at American defense Short qf completely gutting President Eisenhriwer will find ·. planning. If this new look Is the strate1. c air force ·and the 

·on his desk. an official. ·.,report ·to · mean anythiDI at all,~ it other two services, a budlet 

proposing_ that the Nation must. mvolve just this sort of below 30 billion dollars would 

men -,be.tween ·six IP.l!i. seven reshuftling of prior:\ties. More~ absolμtely nile out an added ~-JJlilion dollars foi' air defense over, the new chiefs now have. three to four billion dollars for 

; alone each year until 1960; · ·available a great m.. of evi· air defensr · · · . ·President Eisenhower · has dence, in the shape of .at least Just )>ecause this is so, th!' 

.·' had a uuinber of similar re- a half' dozen reports dealing in econom;.·-at-any~price faction . .jtO'rts olf his desk. before · this. · ~e way or another with . tl!-e in the Administration has 

The difference. tbis time is that 8U' defense probJ,em. From dif· clus .... il · to b4!! · appointed yet ,*1Us, r,epQi't was. Written bJ' the . ferent'ailgles of vision all these another committee to consider 

i

siclent's -, own men. The re~rts embody 1.he same basic the air defense .Problem. This 

sident's: old friend and' wa'r· concl'usion--that a great air committee is composed of 

e.,,G-3t ·Maj. Gen.· Harold' defenc ... effort. is .urgently re- eeonumy·mmded industrialists. 

1 '\beaded' tJte· · ccmmdttee, . quired in the face of th9 con- It is obviously hopecl that this hi~h'.\Vrcl~.,,the.-.re~rt.. -~~.--~tly. grow~ Soviet air· pac:ked .jury,.will .enter a mi· 

other officials were for tlie .~tormc eapabilities. nor1ty .. report on the iir defense . m~st, . P. art. ~~nhower~ ae::. · '· Tb~ . Joint· Chiefs. whether · issqe, thua;)nakinl is possible · ·pointed offieuils m the 'Gov· they iildorse- the Bull report to sho'fe -~ whole expensive 

ernment. Indeed, as prm~usly ' in detail, can hardly disregard arid unple.ant problem un-

·: :-teported in thil!I· space, when the air defense. problem, in der :.he rug. " the National Secμrity. Council the.face of this evidence. After Yet there are signs that the · appointed the. c.a~ttee~ the . ~e .Joiilt Chiefs have taken economy-at-any-price f~ction 

stated purpose was to "get a thm position, the final . de- will. not in :the end win the 

; reP<>rt from our on· people:n· cisioit will rest, "f course~ with day. $ecrP'ilry of Defense 

The Bull committee:;repo'ri · the•'National Security_ Council Charles Wilson h8- stubbornly · ·1ias itlready. been \retted:. fiom-;. · ant! ·the President himself. resisted any· arbitrary reduction 

a scientific point of view by . .· It . is at this highest level hi the defense .budget, at least . still another committee, headecl - that. the final issue is most in until the' ~W chiefs have had 

·bi Dr. Lee Dubrldge~ the: Pre• doul:>t, . their new look. Perhaps more ·· ident's' scientific.· adviset", and . The ·six to seven billion dol- significant. was a little-noted ., including · such · distinguished . lar · annual investment in air statement bf .Secretary of the 

scientists as Charles Lauritsen· defense . roposed by the Bull Treasury .George Humyhrey, · of the California Institute· of report' (very· much the . same · the ablest man in the Cabinet, 

Technology. The scientists sums. as were first proposed and no frie.:.d of loose spend• - have fully indorsed the·. Bull in .the .Lincoln projec~ report) ing. Humphrey:predicted that 

committee's proposals. So bas .d~s not repre.:iei.t a net in~ the Administration will. re- 1\ 

the Air Force, whose letter. of crease 'in spending, since these luctantly ask for new taxes, if 1 , iridorsement th e · President sums in~lude the curre11.tly it decides that the Soviet by· 

will no doubt also find· on· his projected allotment . for air drogen bomb demands ail in· l 

desk. defense. But the net increase creased defense. effort. . . ....., . (proposed) is nevertheless on As for the President, he is . THE NEXT . STEP .is the the order of . three to four genuinely ~o:..Jemed by the · · billion dollars. burden whieh aefense spend· ... Joint.Chiefs of, Staff. T)le posi- ~· . ~ .. ~ "'laces on· :the na. tional R tlon of Chief of Staff of the _. .... ~ 

Air Force Nathan. Tw,lning is. A.Pow:mFUL FACTION.'1il:.:e~onomy.· He :does ,not ·seem wi 

obvious, from the·· Aft Force the Administr•tlon; - ·repr·e~. li~lY .to 'Pl'etend that ~e So- 1o 

letter ,of indorsemcint. As for sented on the National Secu· yi~t hydrogen bomb. does not . the. .. otM.r .. m~mbers. Qt,. the. r\ty Council by Budget Bureau exist, as .President Truman at to 

Joint Chiefs, 'the air defense Dire~~r Joseph Dodge, fs tty. first did.m the case of the So- wi ~et!ort'proposed ill"the·tsun ·re·. ing tO persuade the President viet l!tomic bo_mb. This seems 

port' demands· the kind .of re-. to reduce the. level of the de- especially un~ly. now that m· shufJUng of defense. ptioritit!s- fense: . budget to well below the Prestdent · lS ~ report which the services constitu· ~O .bi!Uon .dollars. Quite apart from his own people . on the. cf• 

tionaily tend to resist. •'' :. - from "the air defense problem, desperate need to build 'our . 

· Yet the new ehiefs ·are now thii kind shof reducdtioctln w~d air defenses. . · ;; · .engaged,, on .:>rderw: fr'om the me.a· a arp re u on m ODDttldlt. 11&:1. N. y, K-14 Tribune. 111.c.