Evening star., 1948-07-27
Order May Join
Anacostia and
Boiling Bases
ForrestoI Proposes
Joint Service Use
Of All installations

A study by the Joint Chiefs of
Staff which might lead to merg-
ing the Boiling Air Force Base
and the Anacostia Naval Air
Station was ordered today by
Secretary of Defense Forrestal.
Mr.. Forrestal asked the group to
study the feasibility of the joint use
of Air Force and Navy installations
throughout the Nation. During the
congressional debate on the unifca-
ton bill last year, proponents
pointed to the possibility of merging
Boiling and Anacostia as means
of saving money.
The defense chief said his order
was brought about by plans of the
Air Force and Navy to reopen bases
that now are in a standby status
and the fact that both services
now operate a number of inStalla-
tions in the same States
Study is Proposed.
Before the plans to open the
bases are put into effect" he said,
"I believe that a study should be
made to determine the feasibility
of Joint occupation Of air bases
units of the Navy and Air Force in
those geographical areas where both
plan to open new fields.
Similarly, he asked the Joint
Chiefs of Staff to study the posi-
bility of combining their operations
at some of the bases already oper-
ated by the two services so as to
make 1t possible to close some bases.
He asked for a report by Septem-
ber 6.
Coincident with Secretary Forres-
tails order, the Washington Board
of Trade yesterday moved to throw
its weight behind those who are
seeking to oust the Military Trans
port Service from its present quar-
ters at Washington National Air
port.
Proposal Is Endorsed.
At a special meeting, the directors
of the board Endorsed a recon-
mendation of its Aviation Commit
tee that steps be taken Ito remove
all military operations, equipment,
personnel and facilities" from the
airport as part of program to ex-
pand commercial facilities there.
Earlier this month. Airport Ad-
ministrator B. H. Griffin urged that
the military service be moved to one
of the military fields in the vicinity
Y,, RI tjS cI1npriNrC
In the Commerce Department, he
asserted that the airport could not
be operated as successful COM
mercial enterprise with the military
service taking up so much of the
available space.
Four Points Stressed.
The Board of Trade Aviation
Committee chairman, Jesse M. Had
ley, pinned the recommendation to-
ouSt the military on four points.
He pointed out that traffic at the
airport has increased so much in
recent months that facilities would
be overtaxed even if the field were
used oily for commercial flying. Un-I
der peak traffic conditions, the air.
port schedule calls for 40 CONNER
cial planes to land an hour with
facilities to handle only Is planes
an hour, he said.
The resulting delays in getting
planes on the ground is a direct
economic loss to the airlineS and a
detriment to the willingness of the
public to accept air travel, the re-
port stated.
The committees second point Is
that the situation is even worse un-
der instrument conditions when mil
itary operations account for As per
cent of the total number of planes
landing and taking off. /
Expansion Impossible.
Mr.. Hadley also pointed out that
the present field cannot be expand
ed because OF space limitations. The
only solution, he said, would be to
operate the field for maximum COM
merclal use.
The report also drew attention to
the increasing Importance of Wash
ington as an international airport.
To stimulate this trend which brings
people and money to Washington,
adequate facilities must be provided
at the National Airport, according
to the Board of Trade.
The military service still occupies
a portion of the airport under the
terms of an agreement undertaken
by the civil authorities early in the
war to allow it the use of certain !
facilities "for the duration and six
months"
The agreement stipulated that the
military occupation was in no way
TO interfere with the operation of
the field as q commercial airport.
Ousting Is Opposed.
Military officials have been op-
posing the move to oust them from
the airport on the grounds that
military facilities in the area are
inadequate.
A plan has been announced to
move the headquarters of the Stra-
tegic Air Command from Andrews
Air Force Base to Offutt Base in
Omaha, Nebr., and, if carried out, !
MATS headquarters would then be
moved from National Airport to
Andrews.
No proposal has been made, how
ever, to stop using the airport for
military operations or to evacuate
the military installations there.
The moves, which are expected |
to take place within the next three
months, are contingent on finding
new quarters for the I'd Air Force
headquarters, now located at the
Offutt base, an Air Force spokes-
man said.
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