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From: David Rudiak <DRudiak@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 14:40:35 -0400 (EDT)
Fwd Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 22:40:05 -0400
Subject: Re: Voyager Newsletter


 >From: James Easton <voyager@ukonline.co.uk>
 >Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 01:47:27 +0100
 >Fwd Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 22:25:57 -0400
 >Subject: Voyager Newsletter - Issue No. 10


 >Where we really need to re-write the Roswell 'flying saucer'
 >legend [what, again...] and seemingly our understanding of
 >history, is the assertion that this new witness was debriefed by
 >the 'Department of Defense'.

 >No mistake, apparently, as "He clearly remembers that it was the
 >DOD who told him to keep quiet. Two men in suits; the CO wasn't
 >there. He had never heard of the DOD before and therefore it
 >stuck in his mind".

 >It's unlikely anyone had heard about the Department of Defense
 >in early July, 1947, as it's forerunner, the National Military
 >Establishment didn't come into existence until 26 July, 1947 and
 >that wasn't redesignated as the Department of Defense until
 >August, 1949...

While technically the last paragraph is correct (and without an
opinion as to the veracity of this new "witness"), the clunkily
named "National Military Establishment" was informally referred
to both before and after its formation as the "Defense
Department" (and variations thereof such as "department of
defense" and "Department of National Defense") by no less than
Harry Truman himself.

In his memoirs, Volume Two, Years of Trial and Hope, Chapter 4,
Truman outlines the history  leading up to the DOD during and
following WWII.  Truman's concerns about needless and wasteful
duplication of efforts between military services dated back to
when he was in the Senate:

"I had long believed that a co-ordinated defense organization
was an absolute necessity....  As a member of the Appropriations
and Military Affairs Committees of the Senate and as chairman of
the Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense
Program, I was certain that unless something could be done to
co-ordinate the activities of the Army and the Navy we would
finally end up with two ****departments of defense**** and
eventually three when the Air Force succeeded in obtaining its
special committee in the House and Senate."

[Three paragraphs later]  "It was my opinion that the Commander
in Chief ought to have a co-ordinated and co-operative
****defense department**** that would work in peace and in war.
Most field commanders who had experience in World War II ....
were for a unified ****defense department****"

As President, Truman's original proposal for unification of the
armed services was submitted in December 1945, with the unified
command to be called the ****"Department of National
Defense."**** [which he then mentions at least four times]

With heavy opposition from the Navy, Truman submitted a revised
unification plan in January 1947 which "upon amendment and
passage, was to become the National Security Act of 1947.  The
bill, as finally passed on July 25 [and signed the next day by
Truman], was not as strong as the original proposal sent to
Congress...."

Truman goes on to describe the organization of the "National
Military Establishment," then writes, "I appointed James V.
Forrestal as our first Secretary of Defense, and on September
17, 1947, he was sworn in."

(Next paragraph)("....His chief problem was that of defining
specific roles and missions of each branch of the service and in
determining budgetary allocations to carry out  those functions.
After a series of conferences within the ****Defense
Department**** ...."

(Truman also points out in this chapter that under the National
Security Act, "For the first time the Joint Chiefs of Staff was
recognized by law."

What's the point here?  Everybody referred to them informally as
the "Joint Chiefs of Staff" prior to this even though officially
there was no such outfit.)

Could the "witness" have been questioned by men in plain clothes
saying they were from the "Defense Department" or "Department of
Defense."  Yes, it's conceivable.  Harry Truman seemed to often
refer to the still existing "War Department" as the "defense
department."  He proposed naming it the "Department of National
Defense" clear back in 1945, and even after it became the
"National Military Establishment," he was still referring to it
informally as the "Defense Department" before it officially
became the Department of Defense in 1949.

The other statements of the alleged witness should not be
dismissed out-of-hand because of this.  If he's a fraud  and was
not stationed at Roswell as he claims, he'll soon trip himself
up when more nitty-gritty questions are directed at him.


David Rudiak