HUGE INCREASE IN AMERICAN DEFENCE BUDGET

Grey River Argus, 19 October 1948, Page 5

HUGE INCREASE IN AMERICAN DEFENCE BUDGET

WASHINGTON, Oct 17. President Truman announced today that next year’s defence budget would be about 14,400,000,000 dollars higher than the defence budget for the year. The president said, however, that he believed there had been a slight easing in the world tension. As an example he cited the United Nations meeting iR Paris, saying it gave him some confidence when nations, including Russia, were willing to talk over their problems. The United States Air Force to-day issued an urgent appeal for.the immediate re-enlistment of 10,000 of its former pilots, navigators, and mechanics to serve in Superfortresses in England and in the Berlin air-lift, operations. The men were promised the rank with which they left the service and a 20 per cent, pay bonus. The Air Force explpained that the re-enlistments would replace men who had completed foreign tours of duty and those whose enlistments had expired.