Editing National Security Act of 1947 (section)

==== Defeat ====
On May 7th, Clark Clifford, Truman's lead for unification legislation, told General Norstad and Assistant Secretary of War Stuart Symington that the Thomas Bill could not pass in its current form, and that the Naval Affairs Committee hearings were causing it to lose more support every day. He also admitted he had been swayed by some of the Navy's objections, especially regarding the role of the chief of staff. Clifford recommended that Truman meet with the secretaries of War and the Navy and their advisors to clarify points of agreement and disagreement and find a way forward.<ref name="USMCDU4447" />

On May 13th, Truman held the meeting, and demanded that Patterson and Forrestal find a way to break the impasse by the end of the month due to the urgency of passing unification legislation. He also said that he had accepted the Navy's arguments against the chief of staff. Finally, he told his chief of staff, Admiral William Leahy, to silence criticism of unification by naval officers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wolk |first1=Herman |title=Planning and Organizing the Postwar Air Force 1943-1947 |date=1984 |publisher=Office of Air Force History |location=Washington, DC |isbn=978-1508659587 |url=https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/28/2001329803/-1/-1/0/planning_and_organizing_the_postwar_af.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424071613/https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/28/2001329803/-1/-1/0/planning_and_organizing_the_postwar_af.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 24, 2018 |access-date=29 July 2024}}</ref>

May 31st Patterson and Forrestal reported to him that of the twelve points in S. 2044 they agreed on eight and disagreed on four. The points of agreement were as follows:<ref name="USMCDU4447" />

*That there should not be a single military Chief of Staff
*The creation of a permanent Joint Chiefs of Staff
*The creation of a Council of Common Defense
*The creation of a Central Intelligence Agency
*The creation of a National Security Resources Board
*The creation of an agency for joint military education and training
*The creation of an agency for joint research
*The creation of an agency for procurement and supply.

The remaining points of disagreement were the following:

*Whether or not to reorganize into a single Department of Defense
*Whether or not to establish a separate Air Force
*The status of Army and Navy aviation
*The status of the Marine Corps

The period of rival Military Affairs Committee and Naval Affairs Committee hearings came to an end for good on August 2nd, when Truman signed the [[Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946]]. It combined the Military Affairs and Naval Affairs Committees into Armed Services Committees in the House and Senate, and would go into effect for the 80th United States Congress.<ref name="USMCDU4447" />

Additionally, in August, Thomas suggested to Truman that he use an executive order to execute some unification changes, for example by creating a Council of Common Defense led by Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. Thomas believed that forcing the military to operate under unification for several months might convince all involved, particularly Congress, that unification legislation was feasible.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Unification of the Armed Forces |journal=CQ Almanac |date=1947 |url=http://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/cqal46-1410852}}</ref>