Evening star., 1949-04-16
Defense Problem Seen
Now as Need 10 Unity
Congressional Groups
Heed Of Appropriations
Committee Is Reel Boss
On How Money Is Spent
Rr Dapfd Laurence

Nommfrtee IS keot DOSS
On How Money Is Spent
By David Laurence
70. The demand for unification in
the interest of national defense
has taken a new turn. The prob
lem now is how to unity congress
sional committees.
After q long period of investi-
cation, Congress In 1916 stream
lined its committee system and
combined the military and naval
committees in each house. 1t
was believed then that all defense
matters should be concentrated in
an armed services committee in
the House and an armed services
committee in the Senate. This
was q desirable step in unif1ca-
ton.
But it turns out now that the
armed services committees have
little to say about national de-
fense. The chairman of the Ap-
preparations Committee in the
House revealed this week that he
is the real boss-he is the man
who determines what moneys
shall be spent and the purposes
for which they are to be spent.
The country also has been of
the opinion that the Secretary of
Defense, after listening to the ex-
pert recommendations of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. was to set
forth the necessary amounts for
all three services. But 1t turns
out now that the Once Of the Di-
rector Of the Budget does the ex-
porting and tells the Joint Chiefs
Of Staff how much money they
shall spend and for what pur.
poses.
Little in Such Formula.
There is little that can be called
unification In any such formula
Of operation.
A unification plan that would
at least start the armed services
in the direction of efficiency
would be one that gave the Secre-
tary of Defense the right to rec
ommend to Congress a lump sum
based on the advice of the Joint
Chiefs Of Staff.
This sum would be subjected to
scrutiny by the armed services
committees and. when it won the
approval Of the two committees.
it would be presented to both
houses without reference to the
Appropriations Committee of
either house.
II the appropriations commit
tees disagreed with the armed
services committees as to the
lump sum, then the recommended
ton Of the House or Senate APP
preparations Committee would be
submitted to the two houses.
When such lump sums were once
voted, it would be within the dis
cretion of the United States Joint
Chiefs Of Staff, in cooperation
with the Secretary Of Defense, to
decide how the full amount was
to be apportioned.
AS 1t is, the country finds itself
faced with a dangerous situation.
Technical knowledge is being
brushed aside as members of Con-
gress seek to decide the kind OF
weapons that shall be used In
future strategy.
Competent opinion from disin-
terested sources in the executive
branch of the Government is to
the effect that it would be fatal
to the national security for de-
cisions to be taken now which
could affect the nature of the
strategy that might be needed If
war came in the next five years
or if the strategy that might be
needed after five years were dis
regarded.
Thus. for example. the problem
of whether to build a supercarrier
for the Navy was dismissed by
Representative Cannon of Mis-
souri,, Democrat. chairman Of the
House Appropriations Committee,
on the theory that such vessel
would be sunk. He argued that
the money should be placed In
stead in long-range bombers.
Lesson Of World War III.
But this was exactly what was
said about carriers before World
War II broke cut. This CORE
spondent. among other armchair
experts, wrote in 1941 that carrier
fleets could not attack enemy
territory because land based
planes would drive them off. The
late Admiral Mccain took issue
with that view and predicted that
before the war was over our car
rier fleets would range at will up
and down the japanese coast.
They did.
Throughout the entire 80 days
of, the Okinawa battle in 1945,
when suicide planes were being
sent In squadrons to attack the
American fleet. not an American
carrier was sunk. While the Japa-
nese held the Philippines, they
didn't sink an American carrier
supporting our landings there. 1t
took naval forces to seize Guam
and Two Jima. to pave the way
for the land-based bombers of the
air forces. Carriers sent their
planes to protect the landing Of
troops.
A supercarrier could go any
where in the world and be the
instrument of diplomacy. BY its
mere presence in waters contigu-
Gus to troubled areas, 1t would be
q tremendous help as a preventive
Of conflict.
But the fact Is that the United
States Joint Chiefs of Staff should
decide the use Of weapons. and
not congressional committees. In
a world in which warfare tech
nology is constantly changing. the
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