Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/23

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 19  USAF O½L Szwrss Air Force Legiizton to be spent for the 3,600-omber progreen approved by the President on 16 November 1940, and $3432,140 for 1,425 planes, an item which had been deferred from the third supplemental appropriation because of lack of bomber-producing facilities. ' The Air Corps estimates for the fiscal year 1942 were based on a program which catled for a additional productive capacity of 12,000 bombers a year.* Already appropria- tions originally contained in the fiscal year 1942 estimates hd been included in the fifth supplemental appropriation act, !94l, in order to hasten the fulfillment oi the 12,000-plane program.:o The remaining 1942 Air Corps estimates called for $1,834,106,/)00 cash and $104,258,995 in contract au- thority. While hearings were being conducted on thi measure in the spring of 1941 the Ger- mans overran the Balkan Peninsula, and on 28 May an additional $2,790,890,85 was requested for Air Corps expansion. These funds were to be used to construct 12,856 planes which were expected to complete the existing pro,am for aircraft construc- tion. With minor changes this appropria- tlon bill became law on 30 June 1941 as the Military Appropriation Act, 1942. e: As finally approved, the act provided over $I,000,000,000 for the liquidation of pror contracts and $2,957,945,079 for the 12,856 planes with accessory equipment; $2,506,- 63,000 was cash and $104,258,995 was for new contract authorizations. The total Air Corps appropriation was $4,341,735,322, al- though $1,201,159,597 wa for previous ob- ligations. The measure also contained a prov/sion that the money could be expended without reference to the limitation of Sec- t/on I of Public Law 18, 76 Cong., i Sees. (approved 3 April 1939). The Air Corps received additional funds ior the procurement of planes when Con- gress passed the first supplemental mfiitary appropriation act for fcal year 1942, ap- proved on 25 August 1941 as the First Supplemental National Defense Appropri- ation Act, 1942. 4 Only $728,000 of the tpe pla=e$ essbhed by the etdcn $204,00,800 appropriated for the Ar Corps in this act was for the procurement of new tarplanes. This was the last appropriation act granting funds to the Air Corps passed before Pearl Harbor.$ In the first eight months of 1941 the liberality of Congress in the matter of funds appropriated for the Air Corps had broken all previous records. In this short period Congre made available for the Air Corps $6,156,253,117; a major portion of this sum, $4,283,784,379, was to be used for the pro- curement of 14,281 aircraft with spare parts and accessories, and for the creation of extra productive capamty. The rest went for training, administration, facilities, and other Air Corps needs and activities. One of the greatest problems connected with the procurement oI aircra/t and other materie1 for the Air Corps was that of se- curing productive capacity adequate to meet the greatly increased matertel needs of the Air Corps. It was not sufficient for Congress te appropriate bhons to be used by the Air Corps for the procurement of aircraft and related matoriel; it was also necessary to appropriate great sums to ex- pedite production and to enact other legis- lation designed to speed up production and facilitate procurement. Otherwise the goals set up under the Ar Corps expansion pro. gram could not be met. Hence legislation expediting production and facilitating procurement constituted an important phase oi material legislation dur- ing the whole period of expansion. President Roosevelt took cognizance of this fact on 12 January 1939 m his special address to Congress on national defense. In this speech he suggested that $50,000,000 be made avmlable immediately in order to correct the lag which existed in aircraft produc- tion because of idle plants.2 Congress took action on the President's suggestion by incorporating in Public Law 18 (approved 3 April 1939) a section au. thorizing the appropriitien of $34,500,0/)0 to be used in placing educational orders to facilitate the production and procurement Tin he three years before Pearl rbor the Ar Corps authored o expnd a total of aou $8,000,00,0 and procure about 3,00 pianos ee Craven and Cate, The AAF ht World War II, I, I05 THIS PAGE Declassified lAW EO12958
 * e Chief of [[ff indicated that ttz additional capactF