Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/31

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 26 -- USAP Hrsoacr SDs be the great arsenal of democracy." A week later, on 6 January 1941 the President de- livered his State of the Union message in which he asked ior the authority and the funds necessary lo manufacture additional weapons and war supplies to be turned over to those nations actually at war with the Axis powers. A lend-lease bfil was drafted by Oscar S. Knox of the Treasury Department, and after discussion and revision by the Secre- taries of State, Treasury, and Navy, the Attorney General, and other officials and leaders of Congress, the bfi! was worked over m final form by the Congressional Legislative Counsel, inttaled by the Secre- tames, and then submitted to the Promdent for final approval. Mr. Roosevelt held a White House confer- ence with members of the Cabinet and con- gresmonal leaders in which he read the bill aloud and urged ts speedy passage with- out hampering limitations, so %hat the flow of necessary weapons to Britam would not be stopped. On 10 January the bil! was tntroduced in the House as H.R. 1776 by Representatave McCormack and in the Senate by Senator Albert Barkley. After long debate the meas- ure passed both houses with only minor changes. The bill passed the Senate on 8 March 1941 by a vote of 60 to 31 and the House of Representatives on 11 March by a vote of 317 to 1. It was engrossed and signed by the Presxdent on the same day.  By the terms oœ the Lend-Lease Act (Pub- ]tic Law 11, 77 Cong, let ,qgq, en- titled "An Act to Promote the Defense of the Urnted States"), the President was cm. powered to authorize the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the heads of the other governmen departments or agencies, to manufacture and procure "do- lenee articles" for the government of any country whose defense. the President deemed vital to the defense of the United States, and to exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of defense articles to such governments. The Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Naval Operations of the Navy were to be consuited before any defense arhcles were disposed of. Congress retained sufficient powers of control over the administration of lend-lease by. requir- ing quarterly reports from the President on operations under this ac and by keeping ts prerogatxve of making the necessary ap- propriations. Congress also placed a two. year time limt on the operation of the act.  The passage of the Lend-LeaSe Act was soon followed by the passage of the Defense Aid Supplemental Appropriation Act, 191 (Public Law 23, 77 Cont., let Sees., approved 27 March 1941), which appropm- ated $7,000,000,000 to enable the President to carry out the provimons of the Lend- Lease Act. Of thi sum, $2,054,000,000 was for the procurement of aircraft and aero- nautical maternal, including engines, spare parts, and accessones.  A second appropriation of $5,985,000,000 to be used for lend-lease purposes was granted by Congress when the Second Sup- plemental Nattonal Defense Appropmation Act, 1942, was approved 28 October 1941. This measure also authorized government agencies [o enter into contracts for the procurement of defense arteclee, informa- tion, or services for countries whose defense was deemed vital to that of the United States. Of the money appropmated $658,- 000,O00 was to be used for' aircraft and aero- nautical materie1. Under this act, also called the Defense Aid SupplementaI Appropria- tion Act, the funds appropriated were to remain available untl 30 June 1943. c In order further to expedite the delivery of lend-lease goods an act approved 31 May 1941 (Public Law 89, 7 Cont., let Sees.) extended the pmority system to "contracts for the Government of any country the President deems vital to the defense of the United States .... "z In the opmion of Secretary of War Stm- son, the Lend-Lease Act was one of the most important legislative acIuevements of the enttre war. Not only was it a great per- sonal triumph for Roosevelt; it smashed two semous bottlenecks, one by providing for the financing of the British supply pro- gram, the other by gwng the Uniied States government badly needed authority over the whole field of military supplies. s Stim- son said it would create order ou of the THIS PAGE Declassified lAW E012958