Summation: Both General Carroll and Colonel Balchen have demonstrated beyond any question their fitness and qualifications for appointment in the permanent grade of colonel in the Regular Air Force. The knowledge, experience and ability of each of these officers within his respective sphere of activity have contributed immeasurably to the successful performance by the Air Force of its assigned mission. The retention of these officers as permanent members of the Regular Establishment in a grade commensurate with their proven value is to the best interest of the military service, and I consider it a privilege to serve as the spokesman for the Department of the Air Force in recommending that the bill S. 3314 receive the favorable and early consideration of the Congress.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator BYRD. Mr. Secretary, you think from the record that these two officers have had enough military service and are of such age that the Federal Government will get its money's worth out of them before they are retired?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Yes, sir.

Senator BYRD. Colonel Carroll, if he should be appointed, had no wartime service in the Armed Forces?

Secretary SYMINGTON. No, sir. When I first came into the Government in 1945, the Attorney General sent me to the Director of the Federal Bureau to get somebody to help us on the problems incident to the sale of surplus equipment.

At that time I first met Mr. Carroll, and was very much impressed with the magnificent job he did as the special investigator in surplus. Under his administration there were no major scandals of any kind. whatever.

Senator CAIN. I would like to say this off the record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Secretary SYMINGTON. Then after I came to the Air Force, we had a bad problem because of one particular case, and it seemed that the Air Force, which had sort of counted on the War Department to do this type of job for them, needed somebody to handle this work. Therefore, I requested Director Hoover to let us have this man back again, or rather let the Air Force have him this time. That has worked out very well. Everybody in the Air Force from the Chief of Staff down realized the necessity for having somebody of this character. The fact that he did not have military service before that was a combination of his dependents and the very valuable work he was doing for the Bureau during those war years.

Senator BYRD. There is parallel authority, as I understand it, existing in the medical and dental offices.

Secretary SYMINGTON. Yes, sir.

Senator BYRD. They may be appointed to permanent commission grades up to and including the rank of colonel.

Secretary SYMINGTON. That is correct.

Senator BYRD. You do not think this will create any resentment on the part of other officers who have to go through the promotion in the regular way?

Secretary SYMINGTON. No, Mr. Chairman. You see, the Air Force is the largest customer of private business in the world today, and the fact that a man of Joseph Carroll's experience is standing behind the question of purchase and sale and investigation of quality, as well as

all other activities that are in a military establishment, has been a most reassuring aspect of the Air Force functioning in recent years. I am certain that every member of the staff and the Chief of Staff and all the military people would be just as much in agreement with that as are the civilians.

Senator BYRD. That applies to Balchan as well?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, General Carroll's position is now, if he stays with us without this law, it is at the expense of his family. Mr. Hoover would be only too glad to have him back, and for him to leave the Air Force at this time I think would be a grave mistake in our national defense picture.

As for Colonel Balchen, whom you know, of course, he is perhaps the outstanding man with knowledge of the North and aviation combined, which might well be of great importance to us sometime in the future.

I discussed this matter with him at length, and he again has had large offers from outside people, but he wants to live in the North permanently, in Alaska and the northern country and, therefore, it again is the same problem with him. He will leave unless he can get it. Senator BYRD. He is a very able person:

Senator SALTONSTALL. Are both these gentlemen acting in civilian capacities for the Air Force today?

Secretary SYMINGTON. No, sir. General Carroll had to be commissioned and this committee was good enough to commission him as a general so he could be in the line of operations and not in a staff job where he might only see those things somebody wanted to show him. He is directly in the line of operations today as a general in the Air Force Reserve.

Senator SALTONSTALL. And he is operating in uniform?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Yes, sir.

Senator SALTONSTALL. He will continue in his present operations?
Secretary SYMINGTON. That is correct.

Senator SALTONSTALL. Which is a specialized operation?
Secretary SYMINGTON. Yes, sir.

Senator SALTONSTALL. And would not come into interference, so to speak, with men who would be in the ordinary line of promotion? Secretary SYMINGTON. That is right, sir, insofar as duty assignments are concerned. He would take his place on the same promotion list with other officers.

Senator SALTONSTALL. And Balchen is much the same way?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Balchen is much the same way. He is today head of all Arctic air-sea rescue in the Northwest, and I think they plan to make him the head of it all over from Newfoundland right through to Alaska.

Senator SALTONSTALL. Are there any precedents for the creation of these special officers outside the regular list?

Secretary SYMINGTON. I think there are, sir.

Senator SALTONSTALL. I have in mind particularly since we passed that law

Secretary SYMINGTON. Not since the passage of the law.

Senator SALTONSTALL. So that this is the first exception in the Army, Navy or Air Force of the special act for the creation of officers. Colonel WALDRON. In the Air Force, that is correct. I believe in the Navy they have made some exceptions, but in the Air Force; no.

74601-50——— 3

Senator SALTONSTALL. Are there any other exceptions as you leave the Air Force as First Air Secretary that, if we create this precedent, may come before us?

Secretary SYMINGTON. I could not answer that with respect to these grades, sir, but I believe that there are several people in grades above this that I would like to see one person I would like to see get a permanent rank as a result of his war efforts, but that I think would be a little different from these cases.

Senator SALTONSTALL. The advantages to these men are the perquisites of retirement?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Tht is correct.

In the case of Colonel

Balchen, who is now married and has children, he has nothing to fall

back on. He wants to stay in the Air Force. Senator SALTONSTALL. Balchen is 53?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Fifty-one.

Senator SALTONSTALL. How old is Carroll?

Secretary SYMINGTON. Carroll is 39 or 40. He was born in 1910. Senator BYRD. I am informed by the staff that there has been one exception made in the Navy along this same line in the case of Capt. Charles G. McCormack.

Senator SALTONSTALL. I remember when we went through the tortures of making up this general bill that the dangers of the special acts are the difficulties it will cause for the general bill, and if we once get away from the principles of the general bill, we will get ourselves into numerous cases of this character. That is the danger of this thing.

Secretary SYMINGTON. Senator, I do not think any law should be so inflexible that you cannot do the right thing for the Department. In the case of General Carroll, we have nobody trained in any way to do this kind of work, sir.

In the case of Colonel Balchen, although we do have some people trained, his ability is so much greater than that of anybody else, because he has spent his life doing this kind of work, that it is just a loss to the country, and it does not mean anything to these people except they would like to stay in their present work.

Senator CAIN. I have one question, sir.

It seems to me, Mr. Symington, that General Carroll and Colonel Balchen can best serve the country through the way you suggest.

But against that observation, have you had any discussions with your successor as to whether or not he shares your views and will in a positive sense be willing to defend this action, if it is approved by the committee and the Congress, because it will take, I think we are agreed, some defending on occasions from people who do not understand as much about it as we do.

Secretary SYMINGTON. I have not discussed this with Mr. Finletter, because it is my understanding he does not want to discuss anything about the Air Force in any formal manner and take a position until he is confirmed, which we can understand.

Senator CAIN. Off toe record.

(Discussion off the record.)

Senator BYRD. Any further discussion?

Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.

APPOINTMENT OF ALTERNATES TO ATTEND MEETING OF THE BOARD
OF VISITORS AT THE MILITARY ACADEMY AND
AT THE NAVAL
ACADEMY

Senator BYRD. The third matter on the agenda is the appointment of alternates to represent both Senator Tydings and Senator Gurney, who are unable to attend the meeting of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy, on Monday, April 24, through Saturday, April 29. Are there any suggestions?

Senator Knowland says he will be available for the Naval Academy. Are there any other members?

Senator SALTONSTALL. I thought it was the 17th and 18th.

Senator BYRD. That is the Naval Academy. This is the Military Academy.

Senator SALTONSTALL. I will not be able to go to the Naval Academy.

Senator BYRD. Is it satisfactory for Senator Knowland to represent Senator Tydings at the Naval Academy meetings?

Senator HUNT. It is agreeable with me, Mr. Chairman.

Senator BYRD. If there is no objection, Senator Knowland will represent Senator Tydings.

Now there are two alternates, then, who have to be appointed to represent Senator Tydings and Senator Gurney to the Military Academy on April 24.

Senator SALTONSTALL. I recommend complete reciprocity, that Senator Chapman be appointed to represent Senator Gurney.

Senator CHAPMAN. I appreciate the courteous reference, Mr. Chairman, but I cannot go.

Senator BYRD. Senator Cain?

Senator CAIN. I should like to think that I could go, Mr. Chairman. Would you permit me to check my calendar?

Senator BYRD. Senator Kefauver, would you be in a position to consider the 24th to the 29th?

Senator KEFAUVER. Mr. Chairman, I would really like to go if possible, but I just do not know what the situation is here.

Senator BYRD. Would it be satisfactory to the committee for the secretary of the committee to contact the members and find out which ones can go?

Senator KEFAUVER. I suggest you do that, Mr. Chairman.

Senator BYRD. Senator Cain and Senator Kefauver will be at the top of the list in the event they can go, if that is satisfactory.

Senator SALTONSTALL. Senator Kefauver will represent Senator Gurney.

Senator KEFAUVER. Senator Cain will represent Senator Chapman. Senator BYRD. Senator Hunt, I failed to ask you if you were in a position to go to the Academy. Would you be in a position to go? Senator HUNT. I was talking yesterday at lunch with Senator Tydings about that, and I think Senator Tydings is going to try to make every effort to go in that he is a very close personal friend of General Moore, the Superintendent, and they have served together at various places. Yesterday he said he would like very much to go. He did not know about his calendar as yet.

Senator BYRD. It is on the agenda to appoint alternates. I just wondered if you would consider it.

Senator HUNT. I would be glad to be of service if I can, Mr. ChairI had the pleasure of going last year, so that if other members of the committee care to go, I would be happy to step aside. Senator BYRD. We will leave it with the secretary of the committee.

H. R. 4433

Senator BYRD. The next matter on the agenda is H. R. 4433, an act to make retrocession to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over certain land in Shirley, Mass.

(H. R. 4433 is as follows:)

(H. R. 4433, 81st Cong., 2d sess.]

AN ACT To make retrocession to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over certain land in Shirley, Massachusetts

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the United States hereby makes retrocession to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of jurisdiction over the following-described land:

All of that piece or parcel of land which was ceded to the United States by chapter 456 of the Acts of 1921 of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and which lies within the location of a certain highway in said town of Shirley running from the Shirley depot of the Boston and Maine Railroad to that part of said Shirley known as Mitchelville, a plan whereof is recorded in the Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds of 1947 as plan numbered 1600, in book 7209, at page 69, or which lies within that part of Front Street Extended in said Shirley which runs from said highway to the entrance gate of that part of Fort Devens formerly known as Lovell General Hospital North, and which piece or parcel of land is bounded and more particularly described as follows:

Beginning at a concrete bound shown as transit point station numbered 68 on a plan numbered 6101-208 and entitled "Construction Division, War Department, Washington, D. C., Camp Devens, Massachusetts Boundary Map", dated May 27, 1920, and running south sixty-nine degrees thirty-one minutes thirty seconds west, three hundred and sixty-one and twenty-one one-hundredths feet to station numbered 69, thence running south twenty degrees ten minutes no seconds east, sixteen and eighty-five one-hundredths feet to station numbered 70, thence running south seventy-eight degrees fifty-eight minutes no seconds east, one hundred and eighty-six feet to station numbered 71, thence running south seven degrees forty-eight minutes thirty seconds west, fourteen and eighty-eight one-hundredths feet to station numbered 72, thence running north eighty-one degrees fifty-five minutes thirty seconds west, two hundred eightytwo and fifty-five one-hundredths feet to station numbered 73, thence running north forty-four degrees thirty-six minutes no seconds east, eighty-nine and six one-hundredths feet to station numbered 74, thence running north sixty-nine degrees forty-eight minutes thirty seconds east, three hundred and thirty-three and seventy-seven one-hundredths feet to station numbered 75, thence running north sixty-seven degrees twenty-three minutes thirty seconds east, one thousand four hundred and four and twenty-four one-hundredths feet to station numbered 76, thence running south five degrees fifty minutes no seconds west, thirty-seven and fifty-three one-hundredths feet to station numbered 77, thence running north sixty-seven degrees twenty-three minutes thirty seconds east, four hundred and sixty-two feet to station numbered 78, thence running south three degrees eleven minutes thirty seconds east, seventy-one and four one-hundredths feet more or less to the southerly side line of the location of said highway running from the Shirley depot to Mitchelville, as shown on said plan numbered 1600, thence running south sixty-seven degrees twenty-three minutes thirty seconds west, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three and thirty-eight one-hundredths feet more or less by said southerly side line of the location of said highway to a point on course 67-68 as shown on said plan numbered 6101-208, thence running north twenty-two degrees eleven minutes no seconds west, fifty-four and sixty-six onehundredths feet more or less to station numbered 68 and the point of beginning, covered by a certain grant from the Secretary of War to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, dated August 12, 1941, authorized by the Act of Congress approved July 5, 1884 (23 Stat. 104).