A BILL TO PROMOTE THE NATIONAL SECURITY BY PROVIDING 60266 PART 1 MARCH 18, 20, 25, 26, APRIL 1, 2, AND 3, 1947 Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1947 COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES CHAN GURNEY, South Dakota, Chairman STYLES BRIDGES, New Hampshire LEVERETT SALTONSTALL, Massachusetts RAYMOND E. BALDWIN, Connecticut MILLARD E. TYDINGS, Maryland HARLEY M. KILGORE, West Virginia JOHN G. ADAMS, Clerk Nimitz, Fleet Admiral Chester W., United States Navy. Norstad, Maj. Gen. Lauris, Director of Plans and Operations Division, Patterson, Hon. Robert P., Secretary of War__ Sherman, Vice Admiral Forrest, United States Navy- 129 Letter of President Truman (January 16, 1947) to Secretaries Forrestal Joint letter of Secretaries Forrestal and Patterson (January 16, 1947) to the President containing agreement on bill establishing a single department of national defense.. Executive order outlining functions of the armed forces.. Chronological statement of prior proposals, studies, and legislation in connection with the establishment of a single department of national Draft of proposed bill submitted by the President, February 26, 1947_ Statement of the Honorable James V. Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy- Letter of Secretary of Navy Forrestal to Senator Gurney (March 19, 1947) in support of statement made to committee that consideration has been given to adequate safeguards for morale and autonomy of 21 Letter of Secretary of Navy Forrestal to Senator Gurney (March 19, 53 53 70 71 Statement of W. Stuart Symington, Assistant Secretary of War for Air (presented by Eugene M. Zuckert, Special Assistant to the Secretary 86 Executive order outlining functions of the armed forces. Letter of President Truman (January 17, 1947) to the President of the Senate enclosing joint letter of Secretaries of the Navy and War (January 16, 1947) containing agreement on bill establishing a single Executive order outlining functions of the armed forces. Organization Chart of National Defense Establishment... Resolution adopted by Twenty-seventh National Convention of the American Legion favoring unification of armed forces_ Statement of Vice Admiral Forrest Sherman, United States Navy Letter of Secretary of Navy Forrestal (March 29, 1947) to Senator Gurney regarding question of advisability of having an Under Secre- NATIONAL DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENT-UNIFICATION OF THE ARMED FORCES TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1947 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10:30 a. m., pursuant to call, in the main caucus room of the Senate Office Building, Senator Chan Gurney (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Gurney (presiding), Bridges, Morse, Baldwin, Tydings, Russell, Byrd, and Hill. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The Armed Services Committee is meeting this morning to hear the Secretaries of Navy and War on the unification bill presently before us, known as S. 758. We are also glad to have with us this morning, visiting the committee, the chairman of the Military Affairs Committee of the Senate, Senator Thomas of Utah, who has spent a great deal of time on this proposal last year and the year before. We are glad to have you with us, Senator. At the start of the record of the hearing this morning, I think it would be well that we incorporate a chronological statement of the hearings and efforts that have been made on bills seeking to accomplish the unification of the armed forces since the inception of the idea in the spring of 1944, when the first proposal went to the House Committee on Postwar Military Policy. This was followed after that by a special committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April of 1945, and that was followed by the Eberstadt plan. Then plans were presented by the War Department at the hearings of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, and the President's proposals of December 1945. This was followed by the Thomas-Hill-Austin bill, S. 2044. Then of course there was the President's plan of last June, that is June of 1946, and the draft of a proposed bill was submitted to the Congress finally on February 26, 1947. Before we print the bill in the record, I believe it would be well to print the message from the President of January 16, 1947, at which time he sent to Congress the voluntary agreement signed by the Secretaries of the Army and Navy, the Executive order that followed, and the printing of the bill that is presently before us. Then I would like to have follow in the record this chronological statement of what has happened, with a brief summary of all of the proposals that have heretofore come before the committees of the Senate and the House. This analysis is prepared by the Legislative Reference Service. |