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Memorandum for General Surles

February 22, 1943 [Washington, D.C.]

The following might be turned to a useful purpose in your publicity.

Since January 1, 1940, the following expansions have taken place up to December, 1942:

Air CorpsFrom40,000to1,276,000

Arms and Services

supporting the Air CorpsFrom 5,800to333,000

EngineersFrom 7,200to216,000

AntiaircraftFrom 23,300to327,000

Signal CorpsFrom 4,700to68,000

The expansion from January 1, 1940 to the end of 1943 will be on the following basis:

Air Corps4,000%

Arms and Services

with Air Corps17,600%

Engineers4,400%

Antiaircraft2,900%

Signal Corps1,900%

In just what form such data as this might be used I don’t know, but I don’t believe it has to be considered as secret, though you might clear this with the proper War Department agencies. The thing that impresses me is the percentage of increase, in comparison to the tremendous hullabaloo raised by the production people because these expansions mean emasculations in the search for key men for new units.

I have purposely omitted the Ground Forces and the SOS.

Document Copy Text Source: George C. Marshall Papers, Pentagon Office Collection, Selected Materials, George C. Marshall Research Library, Lexington, Virginia.

Document Format: Typed memorandum.

Recommended Citation: ThePapers of George Catlett Marshall, ed.Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens(Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981- ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 3, “The Right Man for the Job,” December 7, 1941-May 31, 1943 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991), p. 561.