Evening star., 1940-05-30
President toAsk
ADDED Billion
For Defense
Congress to Get
Pleo Tomorrow
For Speedy Action
By JOHN G.. HENRY.

PRESIDENT Roosevelt will ask Con-
gress tomorrow for the quickest
possible action on a supplementary
defense program running to more
than one billion dollars.
Salient features of the program,
1T was announced at the White
House today, will cover purchase Of
mechanized equipment for both
Army and Navy, vital reserve sup.
plies and a training program, COM
batant and non -combatant, expect
ed to involve 100000 men.
Disclosure of the plans was made
by Stephen T. Early. secretary to
the President. just before the Chief
Executive held an extraordinary
conference with his newly ap-
pointed Defense Commission Of
seven civilians, his full cabinet, top
officers Of the War and Navy De-
partments and Democratic congress
sional leaders.
Unexpectedly, Mr.. Roosevelt also
conferred today with William M.
Martin, president of the New York
Stock Exchange.
At the conclusion of his confer
ence, Mr. Roosevelt planned to see
the press later in the afternoon and
to devote most Of tonight to prepar-
ing his message to Congress.
Based on War Developments.
Urgency Of the pending recon-
mendations and administration
hopes for speeding legislative action
was emphasized by Mr.. Early in an
nouncing the plans to the press.
Nucleus for the Presidents request,
Mr.. Early said, lies in new and
urgent recommendations submitted
to the White House by the War and
Navy Departments and based on
combat developments In recent days
IN France and Belgium.
For these two defense services, Mr..
Early explained, the emphasis will
be on airplanes, tanks, miscellaneous
mechanized equipment, heavy guns
and reserve supplies.
To this part of the Presidents
request will be tied in a recon-
mendation for legislative authoriza-
ton for a great training program.
In effect, this part of the program
will be divided into two sections.
with means to be provided for the
Army and Navy to train additional
combat personnel while non-com.
batant instruction will fall under
general direction of Sidney Hillman,
asa member of the Civilian Defense
Commission.
Hillman Is Ill.
In announcing today's conference.
Mr.. Early said MIR. Hillman will be
prevented from attending because
OF illness. Secretary of State Hull,
Postmaster General Farley and Sec
retary Of Labor Perkins also were
unable to sit in with their cabinet
colleagues, but the State Depart.
ment head was to see Mr.. Roose.
velt later today. Gen. George c.
Marshall, Army chief of stan, and
Admiral Harold r. Stark, chief of
naval operations, were invited to
represent the technical end of their
services.
Invited from Capitol Hill were
Senate Majority Leader Barkley and
House Majority Leader Rayburn.
The President also conferred to-
day with Budget Director Harold D.
Smith.
Although he offered no explana-
tion for Mr.. Martins visit, Mr.,
Early said he believed the President
had no thought of suggesting that
the New York securities exchanges
be closed.
The Nations huge defense prepa-
rations which fall now into the
three classes of Regular Army and
Navy expenditures of approximately
81 ,000, ,000,0 900 each for the IL months
beginning July /, the emergency
program of $1,182 900 900 which
President Roosevelt asked in his
special message to Congress last