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. |