Evening star., 1941-07-09
Roosevelt Will Ask
Additional | Lease-Lend
And Defense Funds
British Aid Request
Is Expected to Equal
$1,000, 900, 900 Sum
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
President Roosevelt will ask Con-
gresS this week for an additional
appropriation for both defense and
lease-lend operations.
Some administration sources said
the figures would equal the original
$1,000 0O0,0 900 lease-lend bill.
Without announcing the exact
sum, Stephen T. Early, White House
press secretary, told reporters the
| supplemental estimates would be for
the Army Navy and Maritime Com
mission in connection with increased
domestic defense and an increase in
the lease lend program.
Budget Director Harold D. Smith
brought the new estimates to the
White House today for a final check
with the President.
Informed persons had predicted
the request earlier
They said all of the first lease
lend fund would be alloCated by the
end of August and that a new ap-
| preparation of approximately the
same size would be needed almost
Immediately to plan further arms
production.
Original Sum Expanded.
The first $1,000 100000, they added.
ministrative action to approximately
SO 8.000,0 100000. They explained that
the Lease-Lend Act authorized the
use of 81 ,300000,000 of other appro-
priations for British-aid purposes,
but left to the Presidents diScre-
ton whether this supplementary
money should be repaid from the
lease-lend appropriation. In practice,
it was said. little of this other
money is being reimbursed. so
actually it serves to swell the orig
inal $1,000 100000 fund.
Great Britain has been getting
nearly all the lease-lend material,
although some has gone to China
and there is now possibility that
! shipments eventually may 60 to
Russia.
Wants Plants Kept Busy.
officials said, however, that the
destination of the war material was
immaterlal as far as the new appro-
/ priatlon was concerned, because the
/ objective was to make it large
/ enough to keep all arms factories
busy at top speed, both with lease
lend and Army-Navy orders.
Most officials said they expected
the new request to about double"
the original s7000,000OOO program.
/ One looked for a $4,000, 900 900 re-
, quest, a second said any figure be-
tween S5000,0OOO0O and sl0OOO,-
100000 was likely. a third hinted
that the British had suggested "a
much larger figure than $4,000 OOO.-
900.
The first s7o00.0OO,OOO appropria-
ton became law on March 27 and
about 5,250.0OoOOO of it has been
allocated for specific purposes
! tanks, planes. food. etc. About 60
/ per cent Of this money already al
located has been actually spent or
/ obligated through contracts with
| manufacturers.
At the present pace, officials
ADDED, they felt sure all of the ST.
600 100000 lease-lend fund and all
! the 81 ,3OO000,000 authorization from
other appropriations will be allo-
/ Gated by the end of August. All
( the aIlocations should be translated
INTO contracts month or two later.
they said, and by the end of The
| fiscal year June 30, 1922 the con-
/ tracts should be substantially COM
pleted and the money paid out.
Would Avoid ShutdOwns.
/ However. new appropriation is
/ needed before the end of the .ear
| these officials said, in order to plan
/ programs and let contracts in ad-
/ vance so that no arms factories will
/ be forced to shut down for lack of
! business when the present money
is spent.
On June II President Roosevelt
reported TO Congress that "a little
over 100000" worth of material
had been transferred to Britain and
other beneficiaries in the period be-
| tween March 1.-THE date the lease
/ lend bill became laW-and Nav 81
How much the supplies were divided
among the various nations was not
/ disclosed.
Since that time, however, it is be-
lleved that the rate of deliveries has
increased, particularly to Britain.
Only this week high administration
sources reported that ships bearing
lease-lend cargoes of tanks, planes
and other munitions were reaching
the British forces in the Middle East,
via the Red Sea, at the rate of one
| day.
In his June II report, Mr.. Roose-
welt reported that at the end of May
S4,277, ,412,879 of the $1,000 900 900
fund appropriated by Congress had
been allocated for specific lease-lend
supplies. Of this amount, S1.938.-
823,499 was earmarked for aircraft
and aeronoutical material.