Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/112

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 USA!m I4szoxcA Svtzs-- 105 rule or welfare purposes The ktr Force re- ceived the larger share of the public works' authorizations !n this act; the Army was authorized to construct pubtic works to the amount of $1,418,025,528, and the Navy public works authorization came to $831,- 847,$50.  This was the largest authoriza- tion for public works that had ever been granted to the Air Force by Congress. The Department of Defense Appropria- tion Act, 1952, was approved 18 October 1951, about 20 days after the enactment of the Military Construction Act discussed above. It appropriated only $13,000,000 for the Ar Force public works program, mak- ing no reference to the act of 28 September 1951. The major part of this appropriation was to be used for prelects previously au- thorized2  However, the enactment of the Second Supplemental Appropnatxon Act, 1952, which was signed by the President on 1 November 1951, gave the Air Force an ap- propriation of $2,071,200,000 to be used for its public works program. These funds were to be used to carry out construction ects authorized in the Act of 28 September 1951, Public Law 155, 82 Cong., i Sees., as well as the pubhc works authorized m pre- vious acts  Thus by the end of 1951 the appropriatmns for the Air Force pubhc works program for the fiscal year 1952 ha rosen to the peacethne record height of $2,258,200,000. The appropriation of such a huge sum erincod several developments: 1) The expansion of ar bases and of ar de- fense facilities m the Zone of Interior; the American policy for contaming Com- mumism and defend/rig the continental Urdted States from attack by baldrag a global system of bases m strategically lo- cated friendly countries from which USAF medium bombers could operate behmd the Iron Curtain; 3) the commitment to build and maintain bases for the protection of the NATO area; and 4) the great expansmn of USAF research and development installa- tions and facfiltles. This huge 1952 public works appropriation, (as compared with the $1,422,148,000 for 1951) s/gnalized the complete reexamination and revision of the Air Force construction program neces- rated by the adoption of the 143-wing tve to replace the current program for the attainment of a 95-wing strength by mid- 1952. The over-all trend of legislative appro- pmations for the Air Force in the years 1946-51 presents a pattern even more un- even than that of public works appropria- tions. Immediately after World War II Air Force (AAF) appropriations suffered a ire mendous cut. By the passage of the Frt Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Re- scimon Act, 1946, approved 18 February 1946, Congress provided tha 000 in unreverted surplus funds appropri- ated for the AAF, 942-46, should revert to the Treasury. Another $1,000,000,000 of un- reverted Ar Force appropriations reverted to the Treasury with the passage of the Sec- ond Supplemourn! Surplus Appropriation Rescsmon Act, 1946. The Third Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1946, deprived the Air Force oi yet another $1,507,959,000 in reverted appropmatmns for the fiscal years 1942-4õ. - The appropriation of $1,199,500,- 000 for AAF by the Mfitary Appropriation Act, 194, approved 16 July 1946, obw- ously dxd not compensate for the reversion to the Treasury of the unexpended appro- pmated funds.* And even ths grant of unds was reduced by the First Deficiency Appro- pmtion Act, 1947, approved i May 1947. which authorized the transfer of not more than $135,000,000 of the above funds to other Army appropriatmns.  Hence, the AAF was on very slim financial iare in the fiscal year 1947, especially as compared to the war years. In the fmca! year 1948 obl/gational au- thority under appropriations made for the Air Force amounted to $1,259,22,100. How- ever, as the process of separating the Air Force from the Army was not yet complete, a sum of approximately $1,500,000 was m- eluded in Army appropnations Ior Air Force support. This brought Air Force funds ap- propriated for the fical year 1948 close to $3,000,000,000, representing 27 per cent of the total available to the three service de- partments. partmerit Approlr/afion Bill for lPt8, He&rJns 12efore the $ubeommittee o! the Committee on Appoprlti*ls, Ftepresentstives, 80th (o, 1st Scsi, ß Tabl , p 1/85 THIS PAGE Declassflied lAW EO12958
 * Conõres granted $2,481,050,000 for lavy aviation in fiscal