Forgotten History

Harry Truman, who regards himself as something of an expert on history, last week seemed to have forgotten some of the not-too-distant past.

In Springfield, Mo. for the annual reunion of the 35th Division, Old Artilleryman Truman came out with guns blazing on the subject of the nation's strength in the air. Republican Bob Taft had charged that U.S. airpower had been allowed to deteriorate, and had argued that the U.S. could save money and build better defenses by concentrating on a big Air Force. "Nonsense," said Harry Truman. The nation's air preparation has moved forward steadily, is on schedule, with 91 wings operating, four more almost ready to go. Getting on to the next point, Truman barked that people who talk about saving money on the defense program "are just doing it for strictly political purposes--political propaganda, political hooey, and that's all it amounts to."

What Truman seemed to have forgotten: in 1948 the Republican 80th Congress approved a 70-group Air Force, but Harry Truman insisted that 48 was enough. In 1949, still maintaining that 48 was plenty, he "placed in reserve" $615 million that Congress had appropriated to get 58 groups going. One big reason Truman gave at that time: Such a big expenditure on the Air Force might be too great a strain on the domestic economy.

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