The CHAIRMAN. It will not be in public view, then?

Dr. BRIGGS. No.

The CHAIRMAN. Then why face it with brick? Why not just give us a concrete building that will serve the purpose?

Mr. WHITON. This building that is being discussed here, Mr. Chairman, is the service building. That is a concrete building. The other is an additional story to an existing building, called the radio building.

The CHAIRMAN. Where is it from the street?

Dr. BRIGGS. The radio building is a part of our group of buildings on the hill.

The CHAIRMAN. Necessarily the second story would have to conform to the first story. What is the material used in the first story? Dr. BRIGGS. Brick, sir.

Mr. RABAUT. Doctor, what did you say this building is going to be used for a garage?

Dr. BRIGGS. There are two stories, Mr. Rabaut. The first story is to be used for servicing and storing our cars.

Mr. RABAUT. For a garage?

Dr. BRIGGS. Yes, sir. The second story is, to be used for shops. Mr. RABAUT. Where do you keep those cars now?

Dr. BRIGGS. Out in the weather, most of them. We do not have the space to house them.

Mr. RABAUT. What kind of shop facilities are you going to have upstairs? What is that going to be for?

Dr. BRIGGS. That covers the paint shop, the electricians' shop, the carpenters' shop, the steamfitters' shop, the plumbers' shop, and service shops of that kind.

Mr. RABAUT. What are you going to do with the space that you are moving them from?

Dr. BRIGGS. In the case of the plumbers' shop, the space will be used to provide additional storage for supplies that are used in the main instrument shop. The electricians simply do not have any adequate space now, and so on.

Mr. RABAUT. So you are going to use all of the space?

Dr. BRIGGS. We are going to use all the space that is released. Mr. RABAUT. Did I understand you to say you are going to do anything out there where you have this new radio station?

a radio station out 25 miles from here, have you not?

Dr. BRIGGS. Yes, sir.

Mr. RABAUT. Are you going to do anything out there?

You have

Dr. BRIGGS. I mentioned the fact that we had to communicate between the Bureau and the radio station.

Mr. RABAUT. With trucks?

Dr. BRIGGS. With trucks.

The CHAIRMAN. How much of this $280,000 is for the Bureau building and how much for the second story of the radio station?

Mr. WHITON. There is $103,000 set up for the second story of the radio building.

The CHAIRMAN. And that would leave you $177,000 for the other building?

Mr. WHITON. Yes, sir.

Mr. RABAUT. These buildings are all of a uniform type, are they not, now?

Dr. BRIGGS. Yes, sir.

Mr. RABAUT. Is this building going to be something entirely different from the rest of them, and not fit into the general scheme? Will it we an eyesore?

Dr. BRIGGS. The service building, Mr. Rabaut, we are planning to put on the north side of Van Ness Street, rather far back; so we felt that it was not necessary to incur the expense of brick facing on that building.

Mr. RABAUT. I noticed in the paper the action of the Commissioners in closing Van Ness Street, and I think it is very proper that it should be closed, since we have purchased that property across the street that we went over and surveyed that time. As I understand it, the closing of that street will put all your property together.

Dr. BRIGGS. Yes, sir.

Mr. RABAUT. Has the closing of that street been a great inconvenience, do you think?

Dr. BRIGGS. I do not feel that it has, Mr. Rabaut. In the first place, Van Ness Street ended at Connecticut Avenue. It was not a through street. Under the present arrangement, Van Ness Street ends on the east at Reno Road, and Reno Road runs into Tilden Street two short blocks south, and Tilden Street forms a direct connection with Connecticut Avenue; moreover, Tilden Street is a through street.

Mr. RABAUT. It crosses Connecticut Avenue?

Dr. BRIGGS. It crosses Connecticut Avenue and goes across the valley.

The CHAIRMAN. Is the closing of Van Ness Street permanent or merely for the duration of the war? As a matter of fact, it was closed by the provost marshal as a war measure?

Dr. BRIGGS. As a war measure.

The CHAIRMAN. So it will be closed for the duration of the war? Dr. BRIGGS. I expect so, yes.

The CHAIRMAN. But you do not observe any serious increase of traffic due to the fact that it is a dead-end street?

Dr. BRIGGS. That is true, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. For what purpose do you require this additional story on the radio building?

Dr. BRIGGS. The present radio building, Mr. Chairman, has a floor area of 166 by 36 feet, and has now one story and basement. It was designed to take a second story. It was put up primarily to provide work on military radio problems in the first World War. Since that time radiotelegraphy has been largely superseded by radiotelephony; electronic radio tubes have multiplied in sizes, types, and uses; radio broadcasting has come into the picture, and high frequencies and ultrahigh frequencies are now of great practical use.

The CHAIRMAN. This will be, then, merely an expansion of the present work in that building?

Dr. BRIGGS. That is true; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How long will it take you to do that?

Mr. MCLEOD. The construction of this additional story will proceed concurrently with the construction of the new building and be com

pleted at the same time, requiring approximately, as stated earlier, 5 months actual construction time.

The CHAIRMAN. The cost will be $103,000?

Mr. MCLEOD. $103.000.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, gentlemen.

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1942.

EMERGENCY SAFEGUARDING OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PROPERTY

STATEMENTS OF W. E. REYNOLDS, COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND JAMES K. LANDIS, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE

Mr. LUDLOW (acting chairman). Mr. Reynolds, we have before us an estimate in House Document No. 667 of $18,000,000 for emergency safeguarding of public buildings and property. Preliminary to a discussion of the subject, I will ask the reporter to include the text of this estimate in the record.

(The estimate is as follows:)

Emergency safeguarding of public buildings and property: To enable the Public Buildings Administration, independently or in cooperation with other agencies of the Government, without regard to sections 3709 and 355 of the Revised Statutes and section 322 of the act of June 30, 1932, to provide for the emergency safeguarding from subversive hostile acts and overt acts of aggression or depredation of the following: (1) Federal buildings and leased quarters wholly occupied by the Government regardless of location, jurisdiction, and control (except those under the control of the War and Navy Departments); (2) administrative buildings of the government of the District of Columbia; (3) utilities, not otherwise protected, that are necessary for the operation of such buildings; and (4) records, valuable materials, and other property of the United States, and all expenses incident to the foregoing including the construction or rental of buildings and other facilities for storage purposes within and outside the District of Columbia and the purchase or rental of land therefor, the remodeling of such buildings necessary for the protection of records, valuable materials, and other property, and the extension and protection, not otherwise provided, of Government-owned utilities, and for all expenses incident to the foregoing, including the purchase of materials, equipment, and apparatus, and repairs, construction or reconstruction of buildings damaged by such subversive or overt acts; personal services in the District of Columbia and elsewhere without regard to the civilservice or classification laws, $18,000,000, to remain available during the existence of the emergency declared by the President May 27, 1941, of which amount not exceeding $500,000 will be available for administrative expenses: Provided, That the cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost system of contracting shall not be used but this proviso shall not be construed to prevent the use of a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee form of contract: Provided further, That codes developed as guides for the accomplishment of the purposes hereof shall be subject to the approval of the Federal Works Administrator: Provided further, That activities with respect to subversive hostile acts shall be coordinated with the facility security program of the Office of Civilian Defense.

Mr. LUDLOW. This is the first time, Mr. Reynolds, that an appropriation has ever been asked for this purpose, is it not?

Mr. REYNOLDS. It is as far as our office is concerned, Mr. Chairman. Mr. LUDLOW. Let me ask you to clarify or make plain the purpose of the language here. I take it it proposes to circumvent three separate statutes, as I read it. That is all in the interest of expeditiousness, I suppose, in handling?

Mr. REYNOLDS. The statutes that are referred to, I believe, are, first, 3709, which refers to competitive bidding, and the other is in connection with the purchase of real estate.

Mr. LUDLOW. What is 355?

Mr. REYNOLDS. Section 355 of the Revised Statutes refers to the necessity of obtaining the Attorney General's approval prior to the expenditure of any money for the purchase of land.

Mr. LUDLOW. With reference to title?

Mr. REYNOLDS. That is right.

Mr. LUDLOW. And what is 322?

Mr. REYNOLDS. Section 322 of the act of June 30, 1932, refers to the limitation of amount to be paid for the rent of any building-not to be in excess of 15 percent of the fair market value of the rented premises. Likewise for alterations, improvements, and repairs of the rented premises, not to be in excess of 25 percent of the amount of rent for first year of rental term.

Mr. LUDLOW. Is it important, you think, that those statutes be waived?

Mr. REYNOLDS. I think it is absolutely essential, sir.

Mr. LUDLOW. You might give us a general statement, if you care to, on this.

Mr. REYNOLDS. I would like to read the letter of the President to General Fleming, Federal Works Administrator.

Brig. Gen. PHILIP B. FLEMING,

Administrator, Federal Works Agency,

THE WHITE HOUSE, Washington, January 12, 1942.

Washington, D. C.

MY DEAR GENERAL FLEMING: In order that public buildings and their contents may be adequately safeguarded during the existing emergency, I would like the Federal Works Agency to undertake the following two plans. These plans, which provide for two distinct types of protection, are to operate independently in the manner set out below:

Plan No. 1. To develop plans, in cooperation with the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve System, the Architect of the Capitol, and other Federal agencies having supervision of Federal buildings, for the safeguarding of public buildings, except those under the control of the War and Navy Departments, from subversive hostile acts and to coordinate such activities with the facility security program of the Office of Civilian Defense.

Plan No. 2. To develop plans, in cooperation with the Architect of the Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the government of the District of Columbia, and any other executive department or establishment, for the safeguarding of public buildings, except those under the control of the War and Navy Departments, from overt acts of aggression as follows:

(a) To make studies of the physical characteristics of existing Government structures and their contents with the view of developing constructive measures tending to minimize the destructive effects of acts against the public security; (b) To devise methods of sheltering contents of buildings such as records or materials of cultural and historical value which may or may not be evacuated from existing repositories;

(c) To determine locations and to make plans for storage shelters including new construction and adaptation of facilities of existing buildings for the reception of evacuated material;

(d) To analyze methods and problems of assembling and packing the material to be evacuated; and

(e) To study means of transporting material to be evacuated.

The heads of the several executive departments and establishments of the Federal Government are requested to supply such information as you may require for the preparation of a well-considered program of protective construction, including recommendations as to legislation considered necessary to the carrying

out of such a program, and to furnish such technical and expert assistance as they may be able to make available for the purposes herein contemplated.

All agencies having supervision of Federal buildings are requested to give you the fullest cooperation.

Sincerely yours,

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT.

AMOUNT REQUESTED OF AND ALLOWED BY BUDGET BUREAU

Mr. LUDLOW. I would like to ask you a few questions now. How did you arrive at $500,000 for administrative expenses? How did you arrive at that figure?

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Chairman, to determine the break-down of this appropriation was extremely difficult. We felt this that the first thing we had to do, which is provided in the proposed legislation, is to prepare a code under which the Federal Works Agency would operate. We invited the assistance of all of the departments and agencies of the Government that were interested in this program, and on plan No. 1 we had 23 people representing various departments and agencies; on plan No. 2, 32.

We are now preparing a code of operation with a view to systematizing the work that may be done and to prevent needless expenditure of funds through hysteria or otherwise. We requested of the Budget $25,000,000 out of a total estimate which we made depending upon conditions as they may develop, of $109,000,000. That was reduced by the Budget to $18,000,000, to which we offered no disagreement.

Mr. JOHNSON of West Virginia. How much did you say you asked the Budget for?

Mr. REYNOLDS. Twenty-five million.

Mr. LUDLOW. They cut you $7,000,000?

Mr. REYNOLDS. Seven million.

Mr. LUDLOW. I think you ought to tell us in a rather comprehensive way what the need of this appropriation is and what the purpose of it is, just in your own way. Go ahead.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

Mr. REYNOLDS. If I may attempt to answer your question relating to the $500,000

Mr. LUDLOW. Go ahead.

Mr. REYNOLDS. The $500,000 is set up in this first appropriation to make extensive studies and the preparation of drawings and specifications for the carrying out of the protective measures as the situations may develop. We have been working on this problem since June.

Mr. LUDLOW. So a considerable part of it will be nonrecurrent-is that true?

Mr. REYNOLDS. Some of it will; some of it will be nonrecurrent. We started working on this program in June last year, because we felt that the situation was becoming acute, and we should be prepared to meet any emergency that might arise.

Since the outbreak of war we have sent drawings to the custodians of practically every Federal building that may be subject to bombing,