Evening star., 1939-04-04
Army Planes
Continued From First Page.)

made by the War Department for
amendment of this law, with view
to permitting the negotiation Of
contracts with responsible manufac-
turers during the emergency period.
AS an emergency measure, Con-
gress wrote into the National De-
tense Act provision that $50,000,-
600 should be made available for
immediate expenditure by the War
Department for combat airplanes.
This was intended to start the
wheels of production going in Amer
lean aircraft factories, some of
them now idle, and to hasten the
day when this country might begin
to catch up with foreign air arma-
ment programs, in full flood tide.
It is no secret that President
Roosevelt and other national lead
ers, at the time of signing of the
Munich pact, which began the dis
memberment of CZecho- -Slovakia and
heralded the advent of air power
as a dominating factor in inter-
national affairs, desired that the
United States should begin building
up its air defenses at the earliest
possible moment.
At the Presidents request, repre-
sentatives of the leading American
aircraft manufacturing plants were
called to Washington to plan with
Assistant Secretary of War Louis
johnson the details of an aviation
armament program which would in
sure national security, but on a
basis which would not result in
dangerous temporary imitation of
the industry and subsequent COL
lapse. Results of the conference
are embodied in the 5000, 100000
program. which calls for construc-
ton of 5000 military aircraft over
a period of two years. A vital fea-
ture of the program was to have
been the awarding of contracts at
the earliest possible moment so
that idle or undermanned aircraft
plants might begin the hiring and
training Of personnel and the OPEN
ing of sources of supply of raw
materials and finished or semi
finished parts and assemblies.
The Army Air Corps as early as
last November, 1t has been learned,
began the preparation of contracts
with aircraft manufacturers, to be
signed as soon as funds became
available. Specifications covering
the types of AIRCRAFT needed for the
combat squadrons and for training
of an army of new pilots also were
prepared during the winter.
Anticipating as far as it dared the
enactment by Congress of the De-
fense Act, the Air Corps on March
6 issued advertisements for bids for
combat airplanes to be purchased
out OF the $50,000O00 fund which
was to be made Immediately avail
able.
Bidding Law q Barrier.
II was discovered soon afterward,
however, that Congress, although
recognizing the emergency in set
ting aside the $50,000,000 fund, had
made no change in existing law re-
quiring the Air Corps to purchase
all aircraft through a system OF
competitive bidding.
Under existing law, emergency bids
called for on March cannot be
opened until July 6. At least three
weeks would have been required for
examination Of the bids. legal ap-
proval and other necessary work pre-
liminary to the awarding of con-
tracts. This meant that the first
contract would not have been signed
until August l.
(This is the first OF series OF
articles dealing 1Uith the many
phases OF the $500, 100000 na-
ttonal air defense program notD
getting under Wdy-Amcricn'S
largest aviation effort since the
World War;