Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/108

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 Butdrny t?t½ Powar Aw Force TJtAI lsoR[ca Szs -- 101 In addation to providing for vo_nd tunnel and other research m 1949, and for the establmhment of the Air Engineering De- velopment Center, Congress also enacted Public Law 60, 81 Cong., 1 Sees., (approved 11 May 1949), which authorized the Secre- tary of the Air Force to establish a joint long.range prowng ground for guided mis- slies and other weapons. It was to be lo- cated within or without the continental limits of the Urnted States, and was to be used for scientific study, testing, and train- ing purposes by the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; $5,000,000 was authorized to be appropriated for the pur- poses of this act. By the Supplemental Ap- propriation Act, 1950, (approved 14 Octo- ber 1949) Congress granted $5,000,000 to be used under the terms of Public Law 60 for the "Acquisition and Construction of Real Property. 'u Additional funds were ap- propriated ior this purpose m 1950 under the subheading "Acquisition and Construc- tion of Real Property. " The joint long-range proving ground project was the result of a study initiated in 1946. An interserwce committee was set up with Brig. Gen. W. L. Richardson, AC, as chmrman. This committee determined first that there was an urgent requirement for such a facility---one which would have a suitable Iaunchmg site and the necessary technical and administrative acilities, a flight test range at least 3,000 miles long, and a suitable elmante for year-round orations. Existing facilities such as those at White Sands, Alamogordo, New Mexico, were unable to handle the testing of the longer range missiles (ranges over 150 miles) and already had maximum work- loads. Hence, it was determined to estab- lish a joint long-range proving ground for guided missiles. In proposing the proect to the Secretary of Defense the Research and Development Board recommended that the Air Force should have sponsorship of the project which was to be for the use of all three of the armed services. The proect was vigorously supported by the Army and the Navy and had the approval of the Secre- tary of Defense and the Secretary of the Air Force. " Congress acted favorably on the project in the spnng of 1949 and by 1950 the necessary facihties were under con- struction at Banana Rxver, Florida. The Am Force, working wth the Department of State, had made an agreement with the Bnt, sh government for facilities in the Bahama Islands to be used in connection wth those at Banana River. " The Long- Range Proving Ground, located at Patrick Ar Force Base on Banana Rver, came un- der the control of the Air Research and Development Command, winch was estab- hshed by the end of the fiscal year 1951 as a major command m charge of all USAF field research and development facilities. a Because the funds appropriated in 1950 were no adequate, new funds had to be provided to complete the construction of joint long-range proving ground for guided mssfies. The Mfiitary Construction Act of September 28, 1951 authorized the use of $38,000,000 by the Secretary of the Ar Force to establish or develop joint military installations, and the Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1952, approved 1 Novem- ber 1951, provided additional funds for the constructran and equipment of the long~ range proving groundJ " Any discussion of legislation dealing with the USAF research and development pro- gram must take into account the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which did basic research for the USAF and co- operated wxth it in the umtary plan for the construction of w, nd tunnels. Total ap- propriations for the NACA for fiscal 1946 came to $38,516,893, of which the sum of $11,835,000 was for the construction and equipment of research facihties. TM Pubhc Law 301, 9 Cong., 2 Sees. (approved 18 February 1946) reduced NACA appropria- tions for the fiscal year 1946 by $2,000,000. " Congress appropriated only $29,673,000 o the NACA for carrying on research and development work in fiscal 194. " NACA appropriatmns or the fiscal year 1948 rose to $45,592,000 with an additional allocation of unexpended funds for the con- struction of a wind tunnel at Moffett Field, California. Also included were funds for the equipment and operation of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory at Lung- THIS PAGE Declassified lAW EO12958