4. Student trainees of the Civil Aeronautics Administration-War Training Service program who, at varying stages of their training, have been returned to other duties not connected with the purposes for which they were trained, and who, with transitional training, would be more quickly made available than new recruits.

5. Army Air Forces commissioned instructor personnel of the Air Forces Training Command now released for other assignments because of the curtailment of the cadet training program. Many of these instructors, because of over age, or for other reasons. will not be assigned to combat duty.

6. Commissioned personnel of the Army Air Forces returning from combat areas who have either completed their missions or, having been wounded or otherwise battle-marked, are nevertheless qualified for service pilot duties.

7. Noncommissioned personnel of the Army Air Forces whose experience and performance merits consideration for pilot or transitional training, and whose services would be more quickly available than those of new recruits.

8. Recently commissioned Army Air Force pilot personnel who desire and need further air hours and experience before being sent to combat or foreign operational duty.

9. Army Air Forces personnel now assigned to administrative duties in the United States and elsewhere who, although in flight pay status, are actually engaged in administrative, consulting, liaison, and contact duties for which payment of flight pay was not contemplated and which, in many cases, could well be done by nonflying officers, AirWacs, or civil-service personnel.

It is the opinion of the committee that the above catagories contain an abundance of pilot personnel susceptible to immediate utilization at less expense than would be possible under the contemplated expansion of the WASP program.

ONE AND ONE-HALF YEARS

Due to the nature of the request, the investigative staff has examined with care and diligence the development of any reason or evidence which might seem to justify this proposal.

If this proposal had been made earlier in the war, when an acute shortage of pilots did exist, it is more than probable that the plan would have met with approval; but at this time, realizing that a year and a half must pass before ull'utilization may be expected of trainees recruited today, this committee does not consider this experiment justified.

It appears that there exists an available surplus of pilot personnel larger than the stated needs of the WASP program. The opinion of the committee is that this available surplus must be properly utilized to the full extent of its capacities before further recruiting and training of WASPS can be justified

PUBLIC FUNDS

This inquiry has developed that the Congress appropriated substantial funds for the training of civilian pilot instructors and trainees. It is clear that large numbers of these men are not now being used for the purpose for which these funds were appropriated. Neither

are the skills developed during their training being properly applied to the war effort. The reasons advanced for this diversion and dissipation of manpower trained for a specialized purpose is not acceptable to this committee. Army Air Forces is now requesting that additional milliosn be spent on recruiting and training inexperienced personnel to perform the functions for which these men are now, or could quickly be, qualified. It is stated by the War Department that the transitional training necessary to further qualify these men for the hotter and heavier ships can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost contemplated in the proposed program.

If the number of WASPS were increased, as proposed, to 2,500, the estimated training cost alone would be $50,000,000.

If, as indicated, the WASP program were ultimately increased to 5,000, the cost would be $100,000,000 of public funds.

Public funds are made up of the war stamps of school children, the taxes of the farmer, the savings of the wage earner, deductions from the pay envelope of the laborer, and the earnings of industry.

Congress is the custodian of these public funds, and it is with the full realization of this responsibility that the Committee on the Civil Service presents the following:

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The proposal to expand the WASP has not been justified. Therefore, it is recommended that the recruiting of inexperienced personnel and their training for the WASPS be immediately terminated.

2. That the use of the WASPS already trained and in training be continued and provision be made for hospitalization and insurance. 3. There exist several surpluses of experienced pilot personnel available for utilization as service pilots.

Therefore, it is recommended that the service of these several groups of experienced air personnel be immediately utilized

H. Repts., 78-2, vol. 3- -97

MINORITY REPORT

We, the undersigned, disagree with the report of the Committee on the Civil Service, House of Representatives, Seventy-eighth Congress, second session, concerning inquiries made of certain proposals for the expansion of the WASP, pursuant to House Resolution 16, feeling that the termination, the continuation or the further development of a woman's flying program is a matter for the Army Air Force to determine.

CLARENCE E. KILBURN.
RICHARD P. GALE.

GRAHAM A. Barden.

CHRISTIAN A. HERTER.
WINIFRED C. STANLEY.

14

O

2d Session

No. 1601

CONSIDERATION OF H. R. 4941

JUNE 5, 1944.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

Mr. SABATH, from the Committee on Rules, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. Res. 582]

The Committee on Rules, having had under consideration House Resolution 582, report the same to the House with the recommendation that the resolution do pass.