Truman Seeks Funds To Build Up Forces

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23315, 26 July 1950, Page 7

Truman Seeks Funds To Build Up Forces

(10 a.m.) WASHINGTON, July 24. President Truman today asked Congress for 10,516,976,000 dollars in a new fund to increase the United States armed forces by about 600,000 men. The proposed manpower increase will amount to nearly 50 per cent, over the present strength of about 1,450,000 men. President Truman, in a message asking for the funds, said that 20,000,000 dollars is for the expenses of conscripting men for compulsory military training and 10,000,000 dollars is for the President’s emergency fund. The rest of the money is for strictly military expenditures and will be divided between the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps and the General Military Establishment. The Air Force will receive the highest allocation. President Truman said that much of tlie money will be spent on new weapons and equipment. The Air Force, for instance, will spend about threequarters of its money on new aircraft. Other services will buy new ships, tanks, artillery, electronics and other equipment. , , President Truman said the new funds are needed for a twofold purpose: 1. To meet the immediate situation in

Korea. , 2. To provide for early but an orderly build-up of the United States military forces to a state of readiness designed to deter further acts of aggression. President Truman said that men and munitions are urgently needed fpr Korea and will receive first priority in the new programme. He gave a warning that the situation is still fluid and said that later developments may make it necessary to spend more money on one type of defence and less on another. He asked authority, therefore, to increase any service’s expenditure by up to 10 per cent.