WAR DEPARTMENT
                           WASHINGTON
 
                              September 19, 1941
 
The President,
 
     The White House.
 
Dear Mr. President:
 
              In conformity with your verbal instructions at the 
conference in your office on Wednesday, action is being taken 
by the Ordnance Department to increase the production of medium 
tanks to 2,000 per month and of light tanks to 800 per month, 
or a doubling of the program in effect previous to Wednesday. 
Action has been initiated with respect to that part of the 
expanded program calling for the creation of certain critical 
and essential new facilities since it is possible to make 
available for this purpose certain funds now available. How-
ever, a prompt carrying out of your instructions in full will 
also require at the earliest practicable date authority for 
the placing of additional orders for light, medium and heavy 
tanks. An estimate of the funds required for this purpose 
has been submitted to me by the Chief of Ordnance and will 
shortly be sent to the Bureau of the Budget.
 
              As pointed out on Wednesday, the carrying out of your 
instructions for this major tank effort will require an A-1-A 
preference rating for all tanks, in order that the necessary 
machine tools and equipment may be made available promptly. Re-
quest for such a rating has already been made to the Joint Board.
 
              With reference to your instructions to double immedi-
ately the production of light and medium tanks, the Ordnance 
Department estimates, provided an A-1-A preference rating be 
granted at once, that tank production can be increased approxi-
mately 15% by 30 June, 1942; that is, an increase of light tanks 
from 4,190 to 4,820 and an increase of medium tanks from 5,500 
to 6,325.
 
                         Respectfully yours,
 
          /s/ Robert P. Patterson                   
                         Acting Secretary of War.