BRITAIN AND U.S.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 134, 9 June 1942, Page 5

BRITAIN AND U.S.

JOINT PROGRAMME Concentration In Production Sections — j-— United Press Association.—Copyright. WASHINGTON, June 8. The United States and Britain have drafted a joint victory production programme, says the 'Washington correspondent of the New York Times. The United States will concentrate on the production of longrange bombers, and merchant ships. Britain will concentrate on the production of fighter aircraft. Both countries will expedite the production of identical tanks and other standardised common types of munitions. This programme, which has been drafted in order to conserve shipping space, as well as to concentrate the production of certain weapons, was requested by the combined British and American Chiefs of Staffs group. It will be directed by the Combined Production Planning Committee, headed by Mr. Donald Nelson, and by representatives of Britain and Canada.

The joint victory programme has developed from a series of conferences held at the White House between President Roosevelt, Mr. Donald Nelson, head of the United States War Production Board, Mr. Harry Hopkins, the Lease-Lend Administrator, and Mr. Oliver Lyttelton, the British Minister of Production.

British Minister's Impressions

The British Minister of Production, Mr. Oliver Lyttelton, has returned from Detroit, where he inspected the new Ford Willow Run bomber factory, the Chrysler tank factory and the arsenal, and also General Motors' war plants. Mr. Lyttelton stated that British impressed. "I cannot help feeling that if Goering and Hitler made a trip through those plants they would either throw in their hands or cut their throats—preferably the latter."

Mr. Lytleton stated that British war production was within sight of its peak, but there is no peak for the United States. Although he admitted that the shipping situation was no better, Mr. Lyttelton predicted that it would soon improve.

The aeronautical committee of the Washington Chamber of Commerce has stated that the American aircraft manufacturing industry has increased military plane production nearly 85 per cent in the six months since the attack on Pearl Harbour. It predicted that American production will soon exceed the combined production of Germany, Japan and Italy, as well as the production in enemy-occupied countries.