DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL 377

unequalled since the attempt to defeat the Panama Canal. Even the official acts
of record of the Congress and the Federal agencies have been misquoted and
given a warped interpretation with a view to misleading Members of Congress
and the public.
 You will recall that this project was exhaustively examined by the War De-
partment through the Corps of Engineers pursuant to act of Congress. The
national benefits which will result from the canal have been determined and
reported by the special board of survey of the Corps of Engineers and the cost
estimate of $143,000,000 has been approved by the Chief of Engineers. The
Engineering Division of the Public Works Administration approved the project
and recommended its construction. A special board of review appointed by the
President, composed of Army engineers, and engineers of the Public Works
Administration, has unanimously approved the project and recommended its
construction. The Congress, acting through the Emergency Appropriation Act
of 1935, has authorized the project Its construction is well under way.
 The Chief of Engineers has recommended, the Director of the Budget has ap-
proved, and the President has transmitted to Congress an appropriation item of
$12,000,000 for prosecution of the work during the fiscal year ending June 1937.
 When the House acted upon the War Department appropriation bill, it did not
see fit to Include at that time the specific items of appropriation for this and a
number of other projects, although the chairman of the subcommittee in charge
of the bill, in entire fairness and frankness, stated: "I think it has been held
that any project that actually has been begun and on which money has been
expended, stands on the same level with projects authorized by Congress. Of
course, that does not mean that we have to do it, but, so far as the authoriza-
tion is concerned, it is there." And again, he pointed out in his report to the
House that the omission of these projects from the bill was without prejudice to
their merits. The Senate decided by a majority of 10 votes that these projects
were duly authorized and were appropriate items for appropriation should the
Congress see fit to include them in an appropriation measure. The Senate by
a majority of only one vote failed to amend the War Department appropriation
bill passed by the House to'include the specific budgetary item for the Florida
Canal.
 The above is the brief history of legislation on this project to date. The plain
 facts of the matter are that Congress has authorized the project but has not
 yet seen fit to make specific appropriations for It Any attempts by individuals
 to construe the legislative history of the canal to mean that it has been dis-
 approved by Congress are gratuitous and contrary to the record.
 In view of the above, I trust that you will make every effort to bring to the
 attention of the House the true facts in this case and to remove from it the
 veil of false propaganda which has undoubtedly confused the issue in the minds
 of so many of the Members. If you can succeed in doing this, I am satisfied
 that appropriate provision will be made to prevent the disastrous results to
 labor and industry which will inevitably follow failure to provide funds for the
 prosecution of what is undoubtedly the greatest and most worth-while project
 which the Congress has authorized in this generation.
 Very truly yours,
 H. H. BUCKMAN,
 BEngeering Counsel, the Bhip Canal Authority of the State of Florida.


 DOCUMENT NO. 127 (FILES OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS), APRIL 16,
 1936

 SPECIAL ORDER OF CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, CONSTITUTING A BOARD OF
 ARMy ENGINEER OFFICES TO REVIEW AND BmINO UP TO DATE PRE-
 vious REPORTS ON THE FLORIDA CANAL, APRIL 16, 1936

 The special board of survey, originally constituted by the Chief of
 Engineers, made a report on the Florida ship canal project, pursuant
 to the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930, under date of December 30,
 1933 (see Doc. No. 43). That report was based upon a lock canal,
 and upon economic data gathered prior to December 30, 1933. The