Editorial Note
On December 1 President Truman transmitted a special message to Congress requesting additional appropriations of $16.8 billion for defense. The communication included the following: “I am also recommending a supplemental appropriation for the Atomic Energy Commission in the amount of $1,050,000,000. These funds will enable the Commission to enlarge its production capacity substantially. The new facilities will provide larger capacity for the production of fissionable materials, and for the fabrication of such materials into atomic weapons. The fissionable materials thus produced can be utilized either in weapons or as fuels for power-producing atomic reactors. The program for building these additional facilities has been developed after thorough study over the last few months.” For the full text of the President’s message, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman, 1950, pages 728–731.
By January 2, 1951, Congress had approved the funds requested. President Truman signed the Second Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1951, on January 6 (64 Stat. 1223).