Testimony by Admiral Stark also included a statement that battleship and destroyer construction was running four to six months ahead of schedule. However, he believed further transfers of destroyers to Britain would not "at the moment" synchronize with their use in the defence programme.
Admiral Stark said, however, that "certain emergency conditions might arise under which we might desire to make certain transfers of material."
Testimony of Rear-Admiral Samuel Robinson made available to the House said that 55 new destroyers would be delivered by December 331, 1943.
Huge Sum For New Projects 'The bill carried an astounding total of US$78,449,197 for Navy and War Department projects in he Caribbean area, namely Puerto Rice, Guantanamo, the Virgin Islands and the Canal Zone, but not including funds for work' on bases acquired from Britain, Tha War Department portion is mostly for supplying housing for re-fruits, while Navy funds will permit work to start immediately on numerous shore establishments scattered throughout the Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean, as well as on the mainland, as bases for expanding activities of United States sea and air power.
Huge sums for, Caribbean projects lent emphasis to the Administration's intention of converting Caribbean outposts into a steel ring of defences and Puerto Rice into a "second Ha-wai," with naval base facilities to house the newly-created Atlantic Fleet, in addition to large air and submarine base facilities.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.