U.S. AIR FORCE BUDGET

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28002, 23 June 1956, Page 9

U.S. AIR FORCE BUDGET

Extra Money Held * Unnecessary

WASHINGTON. June 21. Mr Charles Wilson, the United States Defence Secretary, declared tonight that Senate efforts to increase the Air Force’s budget by 1,160,000,000 dollars was “phony.” He also told a press conference that the Russian Bison bomber was vastly inferior to the United States B-52 intercontinental jet bomber. The Senate opened its debate today on Mr Eisenhower’s 34,900.000.000 dollars defence budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The Democrats are set to propose a 1.160.000,000 dollar increase in Air Force funds, and the Republicans have countered with a 500.000.000 dollars compromise—with most of the extra funds to go on the purchase of B-52’s. Mr Wilson said he did not think the extra money demanded by the Senators for the Air Force was necessary —“or I would have asked for it.”

Mr Wilson’s statements ran contrary to testimony by Air Force officials before the Senate Air Power sub-com-mittee. General Curtis Lemay, Strategic Air Commander, had said Russia would have twice as many Bison* as the United States had B-52's in a few years, and would gain strategic air supremacy. Mr Wilson disputed “the popular impression” that the B-52 and the Bison were equal, and contended that the B-52 was ‘‘greatly superior in altitude and distance.” Also the Russians did not have tanker planes to refuel the Bison in flight. Mr Wilson said the Bisons could not reach more than a “relatively limited” number of United States targets unless they flew one-way missions and did not return to the Soviet Union.