1957 Defense White Paper impacts on Aircraft Factories.

The following extracts make interesting reading 57 years after 1957.

NATO SECRET DOCUMENT C-M(57)18 ~ UNCLASSIFIED by DN/77/75 ~ ORIGINAL DATED 14th February 1957.

Drawing their attention to a statement made by Mr Sandys in the House of Commons reported in the Times.

In the United Kingdom in 1956 about 1 in 14 of the working population had been engaged in defence activities.
About 9 per cent of our manufacturing output had been absorbed by defence requirements.
About one eighth of the output of the engineering and metal industries in the UK had been taken up by defence production.
About two-thirds of the national resources for scientific research and development had been employed on defence work..
Defence expenditure had been more than nine percent of the gross national product.

The government feel that that the form and size of our defence effort is seriously affecting our ability to invest in industry at home and to export abroad.

The government estimated to maintain their existing forces at their existing level and to keep them up to date would rise to £2,000,000,000 by 1960.

The future strength of 2nd Tactical Air Force would be 18 squadrons of 216 aircraft as compared with the present strength of 33 squadrons of 466 aircraft.

Paul wrote:

We are desperate for a copy of this.

If I can locate building 52 next Saturday ~ I can give you a copy.

Dave.

Paul wrote:

Sunday 1 June, Dave and thanks for the offer.

TKS ~ Any special instructions on how do I find to B52 ?

Paul wrote:

Sunday 1 June, Dave and thanks for the offer.

I've received the notification that its Building 56 on Sunday and not 52.

I can't remember now who sent me a copy of the ' NATO document on the Reorganization of United Kingdom Armed Forces ' however one site I use is the ' Airforce Historical Studies Office ' website.

www.afhso.af.mil/index.asp

I downloaded one of their pdf files this week to read the 1954 report on ' Why Dresden was Bombed ' by the chief historian of the Information Services Headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe.

I had been working in West Germany during the late 1970's and this report supports most of what I had been told by a elderly lady who had family members in the area during 1945.