Evening star., 1951-03-18

or at any time we are threatened
with attack.
The factors bearing on the de-
cision of the committee were laid
before Congress by Ramsay D.
Potts. jr., an Air Force veteran and
a colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
who is a special assistant to Chair
man w. Stuart Symington of the
NSRB.
Col. Potts said these factors in
fuenced the committee in reaching
it's decision:
/. The nature of a potential
enemy. It thought specifically of
Soviet Russia and decided that
Russia. in furthering her aim Of
world Communist domination,
would employ any technique in
Guiding attacks on our cities and
the nerve center, the Capital.
@. The power of various weapons,
and particularly the atomic bomb.
It reviewed World War II expert
ences and the attacks on Hiro-
shima and Nagasaki.
8. The possibilities of defense
against air attack. World War II
showed that probably so or so per
cent of attacking planes will get
through defenses and drop bombs
on their target. The Air Force
has stated that no air defense
system, no matter how well de-
veloped, can be relied on to stop
completely determined air attack.
4. The possibility that WASH
ington would be target. Con-
|centrated here in a small area
are almost all Of the key opera
tions necessary to carry on war.
No hills divide the area, separat-
ing part Of the target from an
other part. The water level is
close to the surface and it IS !.
difficult to build underground
space for the agencies.
Argument on Distance
This interagency committee as
sumed that it was desirable to
maintain the seat Of Government
in Washington. This was strongly
indorsed by President Truman.
who held that the Capital should
remain in Washington until it,
becomes completely untenable.
The committee recommended.
therefore, that those agencies
which do not necessarily have to
be here, either for the wartime or
Ipeacetime operations Of the Gov
Iernment should be moved away
Observation-Disclosures that those
which stay, particularly those
vital to the conduct Of a war. be
spread around this target area.
Whether a 20-mile dispersal Isl
a proper distance has been ques-,
toned. Some members Of Con-
gress have said that 20 miles is
not far enough, that instead Of
moving agencies no farther than
that they might as well be left
where they are. Others have said
it is too far, that 1t would involve
workers in too long trips to and
from work and that Z or miles
would be far enough.
Obviously the 20-mile figure is
a compromise between the advan-
tage of distance to safety and the
disadvantage of distance to con-
venience. It was considered not
too far for workers to travel, nor
too far for officials at opposite
sides of the circle to meet CEN
trally to discuss mutual problems.
The problem of hydrogen bomb
damage was not taken up at open
hearings of the House and Senate
Public Works Committees. But
those committees heard repre-
sentatives of the Air Force and
the Atomic Energy Commission in
executive session and later seemed
Impressed by what they heard.
Next comes the question of what
is the common-sense approach to
the problem of providing Office
space for the permanent agencies
and for the temporary expansions
because of the mobilization.
Testimony in Congress was that
Government employment in the
District was about $4,000, exclu-
sive of workers employed at the
Naval Gun Factory, the Army Map
Service and similar military or
ganizations.
Need More Space
General Services Administrator
Jess Larson said that space was
being sought for 10000 more en-
ployes. and that if we went to full
mobilization employment here
would total 25O,OO0. This COM
Ipares with 100000 Government
workers here during World War II
at the peak.
| During World War II the Gov
ernment leased 7 million square
feet of Office space in buildings
all over the city. Now it is leasing
about 26 million square feet and
it is said there is scarcely any
more available unless legal 6 cps
are taken to seize a building and
turn out the present occupants.
] Plans to lease three apartment
buildings which are approaching
completion, to use them for Of
fees, resulted in an outcry in
Congress.
At present the Government has
SO permanent buildings providing
space for more than $1,000 per-
sons. 1t has about $4,000 workers
in leased space. There are 10000
persons in % World War II tenn
porary buildings and $4,000 in
four World War I tempos.
i Where the additional 10000
workers are to go is a question.
and If this number is raised to
$4,000 the problem is intensified.
Public Buildings Commissioner
wv. E. Reynolds, who is bearing
this space headache, Is opposed
to putting up any more tempos.