Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/20

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 Air Forc Legs!atto USAF I-IIS?ORICA Soos -- 1.2 TERIEL LEGISLATION The matertel procurement phase of the Air Corps expansion program, as it de- veloped in 1939-41 was irarioted by the actmerit of Pubhe Law 18, 76 Cong., 1 Sess. The first section of thLS act authorized the Secretary of War to eqmp and maintain the Azr Corps with 6,000 serviceable ar- planes, plus such airships and balloons as were conmdered necessary for training pur- poses, and the necessary spare parts, equip- ment supplies, hangars, and installations. Congress authorized the appropriation for these purposes of a sum not exceeding $300,000,000, together with those annual ap- propriations which might be necessary to maintain such an air force. The measure also authorized the Secretary o War to replace obsolete and unserdceable ar- planes. lricluded in the 6,000 planes au- thorized were 500 aircraft whtch might be considered necessary for the training and equipment o the National Guard and the Organized Reserves.  Soon after the enactment of Public Law 18 Congress passed the Mhtary Appropria- tion Act of 1940. Ths v/as Public Law ,4, 6 Cong, i Sess. (approved 26 April 1939), which provided $94,3,281 in cash for the Air Corps. Of the above sum the amount of $3,000,000 waz to be made available from the unspen portion of the appropriation for the fiscal year 1938, and $15,826,894 from the appropriation for the fiscal year 1939, to pay contract obligations for the purchase of new airplanes and of equip- ment, sprc pars, and accessories for air- planes. Of the $94,737,281 the sum of $26,826,894 was to be made immediately available for the varmus purposes of the act. In addition to the cash appropriated in this act, the Cluef el the Air Corps, with authorization by the Secretary of War, was empowered to enter rot0 contracts for the procurement of new airplanes, equipment, accessories, and spare parts to an amount of not over $32,205,988. Such contracts were to be made between the date of the approval of this'act and i July 1940. It was further provided that the total amount appropri- ated and authorized for contractual obli- gations (exclusive of the sums set aside to meet obhgations for the fiscal years 1938 and 1939), not less than $57,494,962 should be applied to the purchase of new airplanes, $56,113,200 of this should be used for the purchase of combat planes, their accessories and eqmpment. Minor sums were made available for the payment o contract obli- gations recurred pmor to 1 July 1937.  Additional money for the procurement of matertel was made available to the Air Corps by the Supplemental Military Ap- preprintion Act, 1940, approved 1 July 1939. Under this act Congress appropriated an additional $89,727,655 m cash for the Air Corps. It also authorized contracting for an additional 44 mfilion dollars' worth of new airplanes, accessories, parts, etc. ' In making the two military appropria- tions Congress had acted qmckly and ef- ficiently on the War Department's requests to meet what it considered to be the mini- mum needs for national defense. Congress had made $260,6?0,924 available to the Air Corps' n slightly less than three months, one half as much as that arm had received in the 14 preceding fiscal years and had pro- vided for the procurement of 3,251 planes-- approximately twice as many as were on hand at the beginning o the fiscal year 19392 Congress granted additional funds for aviation purposes m the Third Deficiency Appropriation Act, approved 9 August 1939. This legislatxon made available until 30 June 1941 $8,341,300 of the funds granted to the Art Corps under the Supplemental Mlitary Appropriation Act, 1940, for the construction and installation of buildings, flying fields, etc., and authorized additional contractual obhgations for these purposes to the amount of $8,500,000. The grownag sense of urgency was re- flected in the Emergency Supplemental Ap- proprmtxon Act, approved 12 February 1940; by tins act Congress gave the Air Corps an additional $1,78,358. Thin money was to be used for the same purpose as was that appropriated for the Air Corps in the Mlhtary Appropriation Act, 1940. *s THIS PAGE Declasstried lAW EO12958