Evening star., 1941-04-15
i. ). Makes Best
Tanks, Planes,
Patterson Says
Five-Yeor Training
For Defense Army
Seen by Stimson

OnQ6TSeCTeIdTy Ol war rbODcIb
Patterson told Senators today that
the Army's light and medium tanks
were superior in speed, armor and
weapons to those of any other
army" and its bombing and pursuit
planes better than Europe's best.
Mr.. Patterson testified before the
Senate Defense Investigating Com
mittee after Secretary of War Stim-
son had told the same group that
the United States was facing "a
dangerous emergency" which may
be very prolonged"
In preparations to meet this emer-
gency, Mr.. Stimson indicated, civil
ian needs may be subordinated to
the military program
Secretary Stimson told the COM
mittee that the Army has under
taken a training program which
may last five years.
The first witness called in the in
vestigation of defense progress in
itiated by Senator Truman, Demo
crat, of Missouri, Secretary Stimson
said this program will cover many
successive military units and many
successive installments Of men
He drew an encouraging picture
of the speed attained by the Wal
Department in launching the pres
ent preparedness program last fall
as compared with the efforts OF
1917.
Problem Confronting Army.
Analyzing the problem confront
ing the Army in creating large forces
fully trained to operate in a wal
of movement" Mr.. Stimson said:
Furthermore, our forces must be
prepared for the possibilities of wal
in many and varied terrains, it being
quite uncertain in what part OF
North or South or Central America
or even possibly other regions il
ultimately may be necessary to USE
in the defense of this country anc
its possessions.
Mr.. Stimson reminded the COM
mittee. with the new cantonments
finished or nearing completion, the
task of producing the heavy i'm
plements of modern warfare is now
up to private industry. In this con-
nection, he suggested faster output
might be achieved by curtailine
civilian needs.
Contract Favoritism Denied.
In a lengthy explanation of the
defense procurement program, MIR
Patterson asserted charges that the
War Department had favored large
concerns in letting contracts were
"unfounded."
AS for geographical factors in let
ting contracts, Mr.. Patterson re-
marked:
I'VE had to take industrial Amer.
lea as we found it. For steel we
went to the established steel mills
For automobiles we went to Detroit
So does the general public"
The department, he said, "held nc
brief" for cost-plus-fixed-fee con-
tracts, but had used them to expe-
dite production. He observed that
cantonments had cost more than
first estimated, but blamed this or
speed, weather and other factors.
Management and labor, he added
have in general co-operated
heartily with the War Department
He commented, however, that every
strike that occurs in plants having
defense contracts impedes our de-
tense program"
Best Materials for Troops.
With all this, he said, shelter,
clothing, rations and armament fur
nished the troops were the best ever
Mentioning the Garand rife and
the adoption of the 105-mm. how
itzer as armament advances, Mr..
Patterson continued:
Our light and medium tanks are
superior in speed, armor and weap-
ons to those of any other army
The Army is well on the way to
complete motorization. The combat
airplanes now being delivered,
bombers and pursuits, are of ad-
vanced designs incorporating the
meritorious features developed from
the European war. We believe them
TO be superior to the planes being
used in the war today.
There has been no hesitation on
the part of the Army as to types OF
weapons and of equipment to be
ordered. Basic decisions have been
resolutely made. Our money has
been put to work fast"
Mr.. Patterson said that while con-
tractors fees had been low, the
5000 900 900 originally appropriated
by Congress for cantonment con-
struction had been increased by
$685., ,00O, 900.
Increases in Costs.
Increased labor and materials
cost accounted for roughly one-third
of the excess over original esti-
mates" he said. THE remainder
was due to increase in size of prof.
ects improvements in. the project.
(see STIMSON, Page AID