Washington, Feb. 11.
President Roosevelt has asked Congress for the appropriation of $16,- 000.000 more to add to his previous budget request for $500,000,000 for War Department expenditures during the 1939 fiscal year, it was revealed here to-day.
The additional appropriation would be spent, according to the President's recommendations:—Army engineers, $960,000; ordinance, $14,172,062; chemical warfare, $300,000: sea coast defences for the United States, $583,800; coastal defences for insular departments, $349,713, and-National Guard, $574,425.
Asked at the press conference today whether he thought the United States should utilize the present world situation to initiate a disarmament movement, President Roosevelt said he was unable to discuss such matters "out loud" even if he thought Most observers interpreted his reply as a dismissal of the question, but others contended that it indicated the President had been considering the possibilities of initiating a disarmament movement.
A close friend of the President told the United Press to-day that Mr. Roosevelt hoped the present armament programmes of Britain, the United States and several other countries would so impress the warlike nations that they would be glad to -join in a disarmament movement. It was said. however, that the President really did not expect this result, however much he might hope for it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.