FEDERAL SUPPLY MANAGEMENT

(Overseas Survey)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1951

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

OF THE COMMITTEE ON EXPENDITURES

IN THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS,

Okinawa, Shima, Ryukyus Islands. The subcommittee met Thursday, November 1, 1951, Hon. Herbert C. Bonner, chairman of the subcommittee, presiding.

Members of Congress present: Herbert C. Bonner, chairman; Harold Donohue, W. J. Bryan Dorn, Bill Lantaff, Cecil M. Harden, Charles B. Brownson, and George Meader.

Staff representatives present: Christine Ray Davis, chief clerk; Thomas A. Kennedy, general counsel; Herbert Roback, staff member; Annabell Zue, minority clerk; Ray Ward, Bureau of the Budget; John Elliott, State Department escort officer; and Brig. Gen. Clarence C. Fenn, Department of the Army escort.

Military personnel present: Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler, United States Army, commanding general, Ryukyus Islands; Maj. Gen. Ralph F. Stearley, United States Air Force, commanding general, Twentieth Air Force; Col. Roy E. Moore, Infantry, assistant chief of staff, G-2, Ryukyus Command; Col. Thomas A. Lane, Corps of Engineers, district engineer, Okinawa; Col. Gares Garber, United States Air Force, deputy for matériel, Headquarters, Twentieth Air Force; Lt. Col. Robert J. Hoss, United States Air Force, director of supply, Headquarters, Twentieth Air Force.

Officers from the following activities attended: G-2; G-4; Comptroller, Rycom; technical services: Engineers, quartermaster, ordnance, signal, surgery, transportation, and Rycom Gun depot; Colonel Banknight, Colonel Cunkle, Colonel Kohls, Col. J. A. Geraghty, Colonel Bridges, Colonel Holt, and Lt. Col. Lillian Harris.

STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. ROBERT S. BEIGHTLER, COMMANDING GENERAL, RYUKYUS ISLANDS

Major General BEIGHTLER. Our mission is primarily under the jurisdiction and control of the Army with an important relationship to the Air Force. The relationship between the Army and the Air Force, as well as the Navy, in this area has been most voluntary and cooperative on all parts. We operate now under the general jurisdiction of

NOTE.-Asterisks denote classified material deleted for security reasons.

RYCOM, who is General Ridgway, with an alternative plan calling for a unified command in the event of attack. I take over command of the area in that case.

ISLANDS GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY COMMAND

I have two functions as commanding general: as senior officer of this area from a military standpoint; and the other of governor of these islands.

Our civilian mission here is to restore as rapidly as possible these people to a degree similar to their prewar standard of living, with the necessity of expanding the native interest in government. They have a municipal level government. They have a province-like arrangement for these islands roughly approximating that of the Japanese prefectures, only on a more broad scale. They have recently elected a governor of their assembly. They have recently constituted, also, an appointive central government. Early next month-that is, December 1951-they will vote to elect a new legislature. In October we will elect the new governor and will be doing away with the military government which has been regarded as a necessity for the government of these people. Therefore, shortly we will be one central government together with this municipal organizational make-up.

These people on these islands have little aptitude for government or most business. They have been so held down and so subjugated for so many centuries, first by the Chinese and more recently by the Japanese for some 76 years, so that they are just not prepared to take over these higher positions of government. They know little but agriculture and fishing. They are among the most prolific people in the world.

OPERATIONAL DEFENSE

Our mission is to strengthen and maintain the island defenses in an effort to sustain and operate Air Force operation in this area. We will have to depend mainly on the Air Force for defense in these islands. We have here in the Army ground forces, combat forces such as the Twenty-ninth Infantry Regiment

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The Twenty-ninth Infantry would be employed in the case of an attack and we have been planning for over a year with service elements based up in the divisional level. We have certain divisional battalions, plus individual companies, which we have trained for long periods of time utilizing even Saturdays and Sundays and up 14 hours per day. I feel very strongly that the serviceman and the service units are the heart of our defending core and that they should know how to defend themselves whether he's a recruit, a gunner or what not, and we have heard few complaints about working more than what is considered a regular week in garrisons. Many countries, as experienced in World War II, demonstrated that they have become used to that sort of thing. We have a very important job here logistically in the duties and responsibilities of RyCom working closely together with the Air Force and the Navy and other governmental units here on these islands. *