U.S.A. AIR FORCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 24 November 1938, Page 10

U.S.A. AIR FORCE

VAST CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME 12,000 FIRST LINE PLANES NEW AIRPORTS AND INCREASED PERSONNEL IU.P.A. By Electric Telegraph—Copyrightl (Received 24th November. 1.55 p.m.) NEW YORK, 23rd November. The United Press Washington correspondent says that officials of virtually every major aeroplane manufacturing company in the United States began drafting privately a report for President Roosevelt in eonncction with a vast construction programme designed to provide the American fighting forces with 12,000 first-line pursuit and bombing planes in three to live years. The United States has 3500 first-line planes at present. The cost of building the remainder is estimated at 650,000.000 ! dollars. New airports and other necessary facilities, and personnel, will swell the ultimate cost to 1.500,000.000 dollars, j The Assistant Secretary for War, Mr l Johnson, said that the department was j also proceeding apace with an educational and experimental programme to I encourage some 245 plants, which now j are not equipped for that purpose, to j manufacture a large number of muni- ; tions and items which the country would virtually need in the event of an emergency. It is believed that the Government will probably make loans to enable factories to increase production, not only of aircraft, but of other essential munitions. Mr Johnson insisted that “the United States should build up an air force which would be equal, or surpass, any in the world, but for purely defensive purposes.”