The second part is to increase our capacity to produce and to keep our economy strong for the long pull. We do not know how long Communist aggression will threaten the world.
Only by increasing our output can we carry the burden of preparedness for an indefinite period in the future. This means that we will have to build more power plants and more steel mills, grow more cotton, mine more copper, and expand our capacity in many other ways.
The Congress will need to consider legislation, at this session, affecting all the aspects of our mobilization job. The main subjects on which legislation will be needed are:
First, appropriations for our military buildup.
Second, extension and revision of the Selective Service Act.
Third, military and economic aid to help build up the strength of the free world.
Fourth, revision and extension of the authority to expand production and to stabilize prices, wages, and rents.
Fifth, improvement of our agricultural laws to help obtain the kinds of farm products we need for the defense effort.
Sixth, improvement of our labor laws to help provide stable labor-management relations and to make sure that we have steady production in this emergency.
Seventh, housing and training of defense workers and the full use of all our manpower resources.