An Act to provide certain construction and other authority for the military departments in time of war or national emergency
PL 83-130 (S.1995), enacted 07/17/1953

67 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 130-JULY 17, 1953 
177 
(a) By deleting the words "Secretary of War or the Secretary of 
the Navy", and the words "Secretary of War and the Secretary of 
the Navy" wherever they appear therein and inserting in lieu thereof 
the words "appropriate Secretary"; 
(b) By deleting the words "in the military or naval service" wher-
ever they appear therein and inserting in lieu thereof the words "in 
the military service"; 
(c) By deleting the words "War or Navy Department" wherever 
they appear therein and inserting in lieu thereof the words "military 
department concerned"; 
(d) By deleting the words "be, and they are hereby, severally" in 
section 4 and inserting in lieu thereof the word "is"; and 
(e) By renumbering section 5 as "SEC. 6" and inserting immedi-
ately after section 4 a new section 5 as follows: 
"oEC. 5. For the purposes of this Act, in any case where the date 
of death is established or determined under the Missing Persons Act, 
as amended, the date of death is the date of receipt by the head of 
the department concerned of evidence that the person is dead, or the 
date the finding of death is made under section 5 of that Act, as 
amended." 
SEC. 2. This amendatory Act is effective June 25, 1950. 
Approved July 17, 1953. 
10 u s e 491d; 34 
u s e 285f. 
Date of death. 
56 Stat. 143; 58 
Stat. 679. 
50 use app. 1001 
note. 
Effective date. 
Public Law 130 
CHAPTER 
221 
AN ACT 
To provide certain construction and other autliority for the military departments 
in time of war or national emergency. 
July 17. 1953 
[S.1995] 
Armed Forces. 
C o n s t r u c t i o n 
authority. 
64 Stat. A454. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemdled, That the Secretaries 
of the Army, Navy, and Air Force are respectively authorized, during 
the national emergency proclaimed by the President on December 16, 
1950, and for six months thereafter, or until July 1,1954, or until such 
date as may be specified by a concurrent resolution of the Congress, 
whichever is the earliest, to provide for the acquisition, construction, 
establishment, expansion, rehabilitation, conversion, and installation, 
on land or at plants privately or publicly owned, of such industrial-
type plants, buildings, facilities, equipment, machine tools, utilities, 
and appurtenances or interest therein, including the necessary land 
therefor by purchase, donation, lease, condemnation, or otherwise 
(without regard to sections 1136, 3648, and 3734 of the Revised Stat-
utes, as amended, and prior to approval of title to the underlying land 
by the Attorney General), as may be necessary for defense production 259, 267.' 
or mobilization reserve purposes, and to provide for the maintenance, 
storage and operation thereof and of those established pursuant to the 
provision of the Act of July 2, 1940 (54 Stat. 712), as amended (50 
U. S. C. App. 773, 1171 (a)), and the Act of December 17, 1942 (56 
Stat. 1053), as amended (50 U. S. C. App. 1201), either by means of 
Government personnel or qualified commercial manufacturers under 
contract with the Government: Provided, That as soon as practicable 
prior to the submission of a budgetary request to the Congress for the 
purchase of equipment or machine tools pursuant to this section, the 
Secretary of Defense shall inform the Committees on Armed Services 
of the Senate and of the House of Representatives in detail with 
respect to the proposed program therefor. When the Secretary con-
cerned deems it necessary in the interest of the national defense, he 
may lease any such plants, buildings, facilities, equipment, utilities, 
10 XJSC 1339; 31 
56 Stat. 317. 
178 
PUBLIC LAW 131-JULY 17, 1953 
[67 ST A T . 
40 use 303b. 
Reports. 
65 Stat. 365. 
40 use 551. 
appurtenances, and land, under any terms as he may deem advisable, 
and without regard to the provisions of section 321 of the Act of 
June 30,1932 (47 Stat. 412). 
SEC. 2. The Secretary of Defense shall report semiannually to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and of the House of 
Representatives with respect to those activities authorized in section 1 
which are not otherwise the subject of reporting under law. 
SEC. 3. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to repeal or modify 
section 601 of the Act of September 28, 1951 (65 Stat. 336), relative 
to coming into agreement with the Committees on Armed Services 
of the Senate and of the House of Representatives with respect to 
real-estate actions. 
Approved July 17, 1953. 
Public Law 131 
CHAPTER 222 
Jul_y 1
7
^ 1953 
^^ ACT 
To provide for the use of the American National Red Cross in aid of the 
ily 17. 195 
[S.2079] 
Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 
American Red 
Cross. 
Aid to Armed 
Forces. 
Transportati on, 
etc. 
10 use 1347. 
Storage build-
ings. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever the 
President shall find the cooperation and use of the American National 
Red Cross with the Armed Forces to be necessary, he is authorized 
to accept the assistance tendered by the said Red Cross, and to employ 
the same under the Armed Forces. 
The Secretary of Defense shall 
prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the 
implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 2. Whenever the said Red Cross cooperation and assistance 
with the Armed Forces shall have been accepted by the President, the 
personnel entering upon the duty specified in the first section of this 
Act may be transported while proceeding to their place of duty, while 
serving thereat, and while returning therefrom, at the cost and charge 
of the United States as civilian employees employed with the said 
forces; be furnished meals and quarters, providing the cost thereof 
is borne by such personnel or by the American National Red Cross, 
except that in instances where civilian employees are furnished quar-
ters without cost, employees of the American National Red Cross may 
also be furnished quarters on the same basis without cost; and be 
furnished office space, warehousing, wharfage, and means of com-
munication, without charge, when such facilities are available: 
Provided, That no passport fee shall be charged or collected for any 
passport issued to such personnel so serving or proceeding abroad to 
enter upon such service: Provided 
further. 
That such Red Cross 
equipment and supplies as may, in accordance with the rules and regu-
lations prescribed as provided for in the first section hereof, be deter-
mined to be necessary in the furnishing of the assistance herein 
provided, including Red Cross supplies that may be tendered as a 
gift and accepted for use by the Armed Forces, shall be transported 
at the cost and charge of the United States. 
SEC. 3. The fifth paragraph of section 127a of the Act of June 3, 
1916, as added by section 51 of the Act of June 4,1920 (ch. 227,41 Stat. 
785), is amended to read as follows: 
"Each Secretary of a military department may grant permission, 
by revocable license, to the American National Red Cross to erect and 
maintain on any United States military installation under the juris-
diction of the Secretary concerned buildings suitable for the storage 
of supplies, or to occupy for that purpose buildings erected by the