Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-10-18
The ForrestoI Diaries
Defense Secretary Caught Between Truman
and Joint Chiefs on Military Budget
20. Bottle Of the Budget

20. Bottle Of the Budget
On the eve of the 1948 election.
Mr.. Forrestal was absorbed in an
attempt to put together an ade-
quate military budget for the fis-
cal year 1949-50. Here he was
trapped between the Presidents
insistence upon a rigid SIS billion
ceiling" and the refusal of the
Joint Chiefs to allocate--and so
take responsibility for-anything
remotely within that limit. The
services independent ideas OF
their needs aggregated some $50
billion. Since August board OF
high officers Under Gen. Joseph
T. McNarney had been laboring
to cut this total: the board had
worked it down to $685. billion
but could reduce 1t no further.
Mr.. Forrestal knew the Presi-
dent would never accept this; but
he also knew the acute need for
our disable military
strength, and hoped that he
might get a medium figure of
$18.5 billion. On Octo-
Der he explained to the Presi-
dent that if the ceiling" stood
the armed forces could probably
do no more, in the event of war.
than conduct air reprisal from
Britain. 1.-THE Mediterranean
would be ruled out" But for
$18.5 billion a budget could be
developed predicated on holding
the Mediterranean line of COM
munications. The President said
that he wished first to consult
Gen. Marshall, whom he was call
ing back from Paris.
How Policies Are Formed.
Mr.. Forrestal hoped for Gen.
Marshall's support, because Of the
of States obvious need
for stronger backing for his Dip
lomatic efforts. But Gen. Mar
shall, his mind fixed on UNIT
and on the Importance Of getting
arms into the hands Of the Euro
peans, seemed to feel there was
no hurry about augmenting the
regular forces, and gave
little help. Mr.. Forrestal turned
to the Joint Chiefs. His strategy
is apparent. He wanted them
first to allocate a budget within
the presidential ceiling of SIS bill
lion. This would show clearly how
weak the resultant forces would be
and how little they would be
capable of. Then he wanted them
to prepare an $18.5 billion budget,
showing its larger capabilities,
which he could use to convince
the President. On October, Is he
called the staff chiefs to his Office.
A partial stenographic record OF
the conference was entered in
his diary: and it gives a remark
able glimpse Of the4actual process
of policy formation under our
system.
Mr.. Forrestal began with the
Presidents SIS billion limit: "Of
course. you have come up with a
split paper on that. What ! have
been anxious to do is, first. to see
what we could do ON the SIS bill
1ion.." He explained that there
were two possible approaches to
this problem (Which the Joint
chiefs as a body had refused to
face). One approach was. 80 to
speak, functional; they could
confine the plan ronly to, the
mounting OF the atomic often
sive from Britain" and then
see whether you are going
to try to do anything else,
I take it that you haven't resolved
yet" The other ap-
proach was to start with the en-
pirical monetary lint "and then
cut to that" This approach was
easier" but Mr.. Forrestal con-
sit is not satisfactory to
me. Sixty-six per cent compile
ments on board your ships in the
Navy. That is breathing. but not
want to get the flying
time between the Navy and the
Air Force a little more closely ex-
On the question Of
your pants. Brad, the seven pairs
per man. In the Navy you have
to have them, but suspect you
(the Army have got to-" -. The
sentence is unfinished in the
transcript.
Seeks intermediate Figure.
Once a division Of a SIS billion
budget was agreed upon, the next
step, Forrestal continued. was
to take the services own concept
of their needs. It was necessary
to see what between the McNarney
figure and the SIS billion figure
would give you a possible force
that could Jump off If war came.
I should like to present those two,
if I could, together. I do not
know whether it Is possible or not.
but am most anxious to say we
have made a terrific effort to come
under the SIS billion. You cannot
have a satisfactory and disable