Evening star., 1946-10-13
Figures Belle Claim
US. Armed to / eeth'
Study Shows Non-Security Items
Charged to Defense
BIZ Rer Collier.

Aroused by Henry Wallace's recent
statement that about 80 per cent Of the
Governments budget is allotted to war
agencies or to meet primarily the con-
tinuing costs of past wars" Army and
Navy statisticians have produced some
figures to show that such an overall
Jumping together of so-called defense"
items can be very misleading.
When the omnibus defense budget for
the current year is stripped down to
the actual sum allotted for mainte-
nance, operation and strengthening Of
the postwar military-naval establish
Notwithstanding expenditures for liqui-
dating World War 1.-THE actual total
available for rebuilding the Army and
Navy is about $500 900 600. or about
20 per cent of the total budget, the
military analysts point but
Various figures can be used to indi-
cate the size Of the war budget" Mr.
wallace apparently arrived at his per-
eentage estimate by adding up not only
the basic costs of operating the post
war Army and Navy, but also the costs
of demobilization, war liquidation, vet
erans' benefits and interest on the pub
lie debt accruing from war expenditures
These. he pointed out, total S28, 8,O00, ,000.-
600 actually 81 per cent Of the budget.
The Presidents budget review last
August allocated $1S 800, 900 900 to ma
tional defense" but this included $780,
900 900 for more than twoscore civilian
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the War or Navy Departments, but per-
forming certain war-related functions
some of them rather tenuouSly related
II these other functions are set aside
there is left total of 13,150,000 for
. the Army and Navy alone, but part of
this must be devoted to demobilization
and war cleanup" activities. The net
result Is that the Army and Navy will
receive a total of So 300, 100000 for basic
defense of the country out of total
national budget of $41 SOC, ,000, 900.
clared last week at the American Fed
Grafton of Labor convention in Chicago
such breakdown of the budget scarcely
justifies charges that the United States
is "arming to the teeth"
1.-THE tremendous cost of carrying
these burdens of past wars" he said, 'is
a powerful argument for keeping out Of
war, but 1t does not show that we are
armed to the teeth. It proves what we
already know-that We were not armed
to the teeth, or even to the knees, in
1940."
OF the money allocated to the Army
and Navy this year, Secretary Patterson
said, billion must be used to defray
the cost Of feeding, clothing and caring
for half million displaced persons in
Germany and Austria, Of handling and
protecting surplus property awaiting
similar functions which in no way
contribute to military strength.
AS a matter Of fact, the responsible
tiles placed on the armed forces as
result Of ocupational and readjustment
commitments abroad have necessitated
the scattering of our strength all over
the world. With only million men in
our Army to spread out for these duties,
the effect Is TO weaken our military
strength to q dangerous degree. Mean
while, Russia is maintaining an army Of
5000, 900 men,.
Not many persons are aware Of the
fact that when the President gave
figure of sl8,500. .000,000 for national
defense IN his budget review, 1t included
funds for such nonmilitary agencies
and Offices as the Civilian Production
Administration. the Committee on Fair
Employment Practices, Foreign Eco
nomic Administration War Labor
Board, Alien Property Custodian, De-
tense Transportation, Economic Stabili-
zation, Inter-American Affairs, Scien-
tific Research and Development, War
Assets Administration, War Manpower
Commission. War Shipping Administra-
ton, Petroleum Administration for War
and OPA. These war-born agencies, all
under the Executive once of the Presi-
Of the budget.
Another four billions will be used by
UNRRA, the Maritime Commission,
ONCE of War Mobilization and Recon-
version, Production and Marketing Ad-
ministration, lease-lend, National
Housing Agency. Public Health Service,
Public Roads Administration, Public
Building Administration, Civil Aero
nautics, Bureau Of Standards, War Re-
location Authority Bureau of Indian
Affairs. Geological Survey, Children's
Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
National Labor Relations Board and
Bureau of Mines-to mention few.
Shorn of these extraneous expenses,
the Army budget declines to little less
than 5000 900 900, or about II per cent
of the Federal budget, while the Navy
budget reduces to a little more than
$4,000, ,000. 600, or about per cent of the
total of Federal expenses
Army and Navy officials insist that
further reductions in defense expendi-
lures cannot be made without seriously
imperiling national security. To those
who compare today's defense budget
with that Of 1899 or 1910 the defense
experts are quick to reply-as did Sec
retary Patterson last week-that our
failure to spend enough then invited
attack Todays defense costs are about
eight times those of 1899 and 1910. In
fact the Army-Navy stripped down
budget for 1947 is more than the entire
cost of government in 1899 and within
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