The Washington times., 1939-01-06
U. S. AIR, NAVY,
ARMY CHIEFS
SEE PRESIDENT
America Determined to
Meet Fascist Threat
BY ROBERT G. NIXON


(IN.SD Determined to make
Americas 5 military arms so strong
that no combination Of total
itarian powers will dare launch a
sudden attack against the Western
Hemisphere, President Roosevelt
today held a last-minute series OF
conferences with his chief Army,
Navy and diplomatic advisers.
The conferences heralded a
swift re-vamping of defense plans,
in the light of grave new develop
ments in Europe and Asia, before
sending to Congress the most
momentous national defense mes
sage since the World War.
It was indicated authoritat1vely
that the special defense message
probably will not now be sent to
Congress until Thursday.
CALLS Is ADVISERS
Warning again of the fate that
has befailen China, Czechoslo-
vakia, Austria and Ethiopia, the
Presidents message will detail the
need for a special defense fund OF
$5O0,0O0, 900, an addition to the
record peacetime budget allotment
of $1,319,558,000 for the Army
Navy and Air Corps.
The Chief Executive yesterday
suddenly summoned 18 OF the
top-ranking Army, Navy and dip
lomatic advisers to the White
House for an unScheduled confer
ence.
These included Acting Secre-
tary of State Sumner Welles and
Counselor R. Walton Moore, the
Secretary and Assistant Secretary
of War, the Assistant Secretary OF
Navy, the chief of staff OF the
Army and his deputy chief, the
chief of naval operations, the
chiefs of the Army and Navy All
Corps, and acting director OF the
budget, Daniel Bell.
SERIES OF PARLEYS
After a conference of more than
two hours, the same group, rein
forced by Army and Navy off,
GERS of high rank and civil aero
nautics authority officials held
a further conference in the office
of Assistant Secretary Of War
Louis johnson. Further confer
ences are scheduled for today and
next week. Top-ranking Army and
Navy aviation officers from air
bases throughout the nation have
been summoned to Washington.
International News Service e
learned that the present plan OF
the Chief Executive is to use the
major portion of the $500, 600, 600
for the Army and Air Corps.
AIR EXPANSION LEADS
A huge part of the total sum is
earmarked for expansion of the
Air Corps to meet the threat OF
the tremendous aviation units OF
Germany and Italy, credited with
having been the major factor in
forcing the Munich peace, which
gave Germany its way with Czech
oSlovakia without a fight.
The half-billion-dollar defense
fund is expected to be expended
in four main categorieS:
/. Increase of the Army Air
Corps to 10000 first class fight
ing planes of all types, with
5000 minimum for the Navy.
FAR-FLUNG AIR BASES
2. Complete mechanization of
the Army, with full modern
equipment in tanks, antiaircraft
and antitank guns, field artil-
lery of all types, machine guns,
rapid-fire .37-millimeter artil-
lery firing high-explosive shells,
Semiautomatic rifles, and war
reserves sufficient to provide all
that is necessary for an initial
holding force of 100000 men.
3. Gearing the nations peace
time industry to an immediate
sWitch-over to full wartime pro-
duction in the event Of an emer-
gency.
4, Establishment of air and
submarine bases in the far Pa
cific possessions. Alaska, the
West Indies and Atlantic Coast.