Evening star., 1949-04-09
Defense Budget
OF 1859 Billions
Goes 10 House
Committee Worms OF
Ominous Signs. Urges
U S. to Be Prepored
D. sses Asse< .Ssse sssss

A SIS aos il6.Eoo national de-
fenSe money h.il ~AS approved
today ey the Heuse Appropriated
Committee With q blunt statement
that America must prepare 'o-
trouble and thereby seek 10
avoid II
The record postwar military
budget, more than half q billion
dollars higher than President T'vg.
man requested, finances the Army.
Navy ana Air Force for the year
starting july !
The Air Force got the hlggea
total while both the Army and
Navy cot less than Mr.. Truman
wanted for them
Nowhere IN the thousands of
printed pages Of testimony on
which the bin MAS based Was there
any suggestion that the United
States Is on the verse Of wAr but
top military leaders agreed that
some unpredictahle event might
suddenly start a conflict at any
time.
Mahon Sees Omlneus Signs.
That brought this comment
from Representative Mahon. Dem
ocrat. Of Texas, chairman Of the
subcommittee that drafted the bill
and conducted the lone hearings:
There seems TO me 10 be no
road for us to follow except the
road OF anxiety and sacrifice We
have no other course open % use
with so many ominoaIS signs On
the horizon of our world.
We would be faithiess 10 our
trust II we failed to prepare for
trouble and thereby seek 10 avoid
II. II war comes soon, We are
appropriatlng too little, II We
have miScalculated the dangers.
II the threat OF war is Just a de-
ceptive mirage on the horizon. We
are appropriating too much"
Gen. Omar N Bradley. Army
Chief of Staff. told the COMMITTEES
he does not anticipate war within
the year ending June 80. 1850, and
added without elaboration:
Last year / was more worried
than ! am at the present time"
Comparison with isss mn.
The total In the bill compares
with sio.434.4T7.si3 cash voted by
Congress last year when each
service was financed separately,
II Is $50 $50. 100 in cash and
t677. .7S5 900 In contract authority
more than President Truman
requested,
It provides for q military force
Of 4,743.i00 ofYlccrs and men di-
vided this way Regulars. 64S.-
800: National Guard. 800 500. Or
ganized Reserves, 2.7os. 300. OF
the Regulars. the Army will have
677 900. the Navy SGT 800. inclad-
ing s5. TOO Marines. and the Air
Force 100000.
Here's how the money recon-
mended would be split up among
the services
The Army-sS .4sl ,s5a 400 in
cash. including $500 900 900 10 pay
of previous contract authoriAa-
tions. The President asked for q
total OF s4.6es. .s7s. 700.
The Nayy--s5 ,oiB.s73. 600. In
cludtng s3.5ss .327 500 cash. tss3.-
SAC 900 In contract authority and
s7sl 900 900 cash 10 lianidate pre-
vious contracts. The President re-
ouested a total OF t5.i3s .352 900
The Air Force--ss.2is 100 900.
consisting Of s3,3S7 ,s54 900 cash,
81 ,e92. .765 900 on contract author
ity and 1915 900 900 cash 70 iiqui-
date previous contracts. The
President wanted q total Of IS
42s .ss7 900.
hauttiaUN ubus W. NsN&hAsts
In addition the bin carries
90, TOO 900 for the National secur-
ity Resources Board and siss.-
900 900 in retirement pay for all
the services.
Every penny Of the $3.50. 900 900
requested for research and dsyel-
opment tinciudins the study Of
new and more devastating
weapons was approved By the
committee
The biggest increase over the
Presidents figures was for the Air
Force fund for buying planes and
training personnel 70 man them.
The total boost for this purposs
was s2os 900 900 fin cash and
ss42 900 600 in contract author
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