WAR DEPARTMENT
           OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF THE ARMY AIR FORCES
                           WASHINGTON
 
                                   March 17, 1942
 
MEMORANDUM FOR MR. HOPKINS: (The White House )
 
               Subject: ASV and AI Equipment.
 
     1. Last Sunday the President asked me certain questions about our ASV and AI equipment. I
told him that I had forgotten the letter designations and accordingly could not give him a
complete picture. Here, however, is the complete picture.
 
     a. ASV Equipment (To determine the location of surface vessels at sea. Distance of
pickup about 60 miles. )
 
         We are now equipping 22 B-24's.
          8 of these B-24's have been shipped to Panama. 
          2 will leave within the next few days. 
          A total of 38 B-24's so equipped will be sent to Panama. 
          10 B-18's are being equipped for training purposes.
 
     b. AI. Equipment - British  (To intercept aircraft).
 
         This equipment is being installed on a modified A-20. Equipment is coming out at the
rate of about 10 this month and building up to 75 in August. We have some equipment installed
on A-20's for instructional purposes.
 
     c. AI-10 - American.
 
        We have some of these already delivered and installed in training equipment for our
schools. Production on this equipment starts in April and builds up to 200 a month by next
November.
 
     d. Planes will be available for installation of the AI equipment where needed.
 
     2. Our present plans contemplate a total of about 38 ASV's on airplanes being used in
Panama.
 
 
 
                                   H.H. ARNOLD
                              Lieutenant Beneral, U.S.A.
                         Commanding General, Army Air Forces.