Shortfall of an Alibi

Washington planners like to describe the lagging arms program with such euphemisms as "shortfalls" and "slippages." Last week, in issuing a public alarm on the state of aircraft production, Texas' Senator Lyndon Johnson used some plain, unvarnished language (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS). The fact was that even after the Administration had scaled down its arms schedules, it was still failing to meet its goals.

Up to now, one of the stock Administration excuses for the stretch-out has been that the economy is not big enough or strong enough to carry the arms load originally planned. From this handy excuse a do-nothing atmosphere has pervaded Washington; even the Pentagon is no longer making much of an effort to increase production targets.

But last week the Administration's own No. 1 mobilizer knocked the props from under Washington's alibis. Defense Production Administrator Henry Fowler said that the U.S. productive machine has grown so much since Korea that it is now capable of meeting not only the reduced arms schedules, but stepping them up to the original rates. Of the $22 billion worth of new facilities authorized for fast tax-write-offs, 60% is already in place, said Fowler; by the end of next year, 90% will be completed. The Administration has the choice of using this extra production reserve for greater arms output or for civilian production. Fowler proved his point with an admission which was, for a bureaucrat, amazing. If the new production is not used for defense, said he, all controls on such once short items as copper, steel and aluminum can be removed by early next year.

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