Evening star., 1940-05-15
Defense
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naval bases, or to prevent their
use as enemy air or submarine
bases, from which to launch an
attack against continental United
States or the Panama Canal.
"A feet air base in the southeast
corner of the Caribbean would un-
doubtedly add to the security of that
area, as well as to the ability OF
the United States Fleet to insure
the integrity of the Monroe Doc
trine. In view of present
European developments it may be
necessary to proceed with some OF
these proposed projects in the near
future.
Superior Air Force Sought.
"Our Army must be adequate to
defend the bases from which our
feet and our aircraft operate. We
must, in addition, have an air force
capable of being concentrated on
either coast, superior in number to
the greatest number Of carrier
borne and catapulted aircraft
possessed by any naval power or
conceivable combination of powers,
and powerful enough to prevent an
enemy from establishing in either
ocean a base in this hemisphere
while our fleet is engaging the
enemy's fleet"
In connection with the pending
authorization bill, which would add
10 fighting ships to the Navy's
paper fleet" the committee said a
total of $45, 100000 should be made
available in immediate appropria-
tions.
OF this amount, $18,000.000 is
needed to provide additional ship
building facilities and $27 ,400, 900 for
initial construction costs on 63 YES
sells previously approved by Con-
eress or authorized in the pending
legislation, the report said.
President Roosevelt. working IN
his shirt sleeves. conferred yester-
day with congressional and military
leaders and then told reporters that
the ornaments race had been forced
on the country and that 1t must
keep abreast.
Financing Secondary.
National defense is the important
thing, he said. and the method OF
financing it Is of secondary con-
sideration.
Authoritative sources said the
President would recommend an in
crease of $726, ,0Oo, 900 in Army funds
and $3.50 ,0O0, 900 more for the Navy.
The objectives would be to complete
equipment for 100000 troops, put
warship construction in high gear
and bulwark coast defenses.
This emergency fund would swell
national defense outlays for the
year starting July l to about $2,724,-
900 ,000-by far a peacetime record.
Would Enlist More Men.
The salient features of the Presi-
den's program, congressional in
formants said, would include:
/. Production of critical" items
of equipment. such as semi-auto-
matte rifles, tanks, artillery and
anti-aircraft weapons in sufficient
quantities for field forces of 100000
men and 250,000 requirements. on
cials said this would cost about
1865 ,000, 900 and require from one
to two years.
2. Addition Of $4,000 men to the
Army's enlisted strength to permit
creation of another streamlined in
fantry division and provision for
training 1000 additional pilots for
the Air Corps.
3. Acceleration Of warship con-
struction already under way and
expansion of facilities for training
naval flyers. ...
Strengthening of seacoast de-
lenses, for which the Army has esti-
mated $82, soc, 900 will be needed in
this country, Panama, Hawaii and
Puerto Rico.
S. Acquisition of 200 additional
four-engined bombers at a cost of
$so, ,000. 900.
Naval Construction Probed.
Each detail Of the program had q
common element-considerable time
would be required before the goals
could be achieved. This varied from
several months in some cases to