The Washington herald., 1918-11-01
AIR PROGRAM
NOT FAILURE,
HUGHES SAYS
Finds Small Evidences Of
Waste, with Results Gen.
orally Good.
ASKS TRIAL OF DEEDS
Other Officers Also Charg-
ed with Misconduct Under
Articles of War.

The long-awaited report on the
aircraft situation by former Jus
tice Charles E Hughes was made
public today at the White House.
Taken in its entirety it is prac-
tically a clean bill Of health. The
country is informed that the
S6OI ,85I ,86647 which it gave for
the aircraft program has not been
squandered. But $I34,o44,3 3o5.27
has so far been expended with re-
suits described as splendid.
CoaI Deeds Named.
The report exonerates all members
of the original Aircraft Board save
Col f. A. Deeds, and recites that the
money expended up to October II pro-
duced 12S03 airplanes and 2I.S0l en-
gines.
1t deals with practices Of Col. Deeds
and other officers, and declares there
is a total loss of approximately $20.
100000 on the Bristol and SJ-I's planes.
This amount, however. is subject to
salvage and may be much smaller
when different parts of the rejected
planes are used in other machines.
The Bristol plane. it is recalled. was
condemned as unsafe whereas the 81
I engine was rejected. All of the
1000 SJ-Ts may still be used with
other engines.
Deeds Conduct "CcnsurenbIe.''
The conduct of Col. Deeds is termed
censurable by Attorney General Greg
ory. who transmitted the report to
the President. Judge Hughes sug
gested. and his suggestion received
the acquiescense of Mr.. Gregory, that
all the facts regarding Deeds be sub
mitted to the Secretary of War for
court-martial proceedings. should be
think this course justified.
Deeds is shown to have made use
of his official position to act as a con-
! fidential adviser of II. f. Talbot and
Charles F. Kettering. his intimate
business associates, and to have con-
voyed confidential information to
them regarding the DAYTON Wright
Airplane Company. in which all three
were financially interested, and also
in other matters pertaining to the
aircraft program.
Lieut.. Col. J. G. Vincent, Lieut. Col.
George w. MiXter and Second Lieut.
Samuel B. Nrooman, tr., were other
officers whose names appear in a dis
agreeable light. Vincent, who was
vice president of the Packard Motor
Car Company. retained his stock in
that corporation after becoming an
officer in the army. and in a branch
of the army whereby he could serve
his concern. He was instrumental in
having certain payments mades to the
Packard Company for drawings,
models, tests and for eleven stand
| ardized engines. The course of pro-
| cedure was without a written con-
tract and otherwise irregular and un-
| usual. He Is directly charged with a
I violation of the criminal code, which
| prohibits any person, either directly
or indirectly. interested in the pecu-
! mary profits or contracts of a cor
! poration, from acting as an office, or
| agent of the United States for the
transaction of husiness with such a
| corporation. 5he saving element in
his case is tat no intent to defraud
was discovertd by Judge Hughes.
.- Lieut.. toI. Mixter Named.
Lieut.. Coll Mixter is shown to
have retained s2.500 of the preferred
stock of the Curtiss Airplane and
Motor Corporation while acting for
the government. As head of the
inspection department and produc-
tion manager he visited plants of
this corporation. He is charged
with a violation of the same Grim
| inal section as Lieut.. Col. Vincent.
Second Lieut. yrooman had s1O.-
900 worth of stock in the S. B.
Vroomani Company of Philadelphia,
which had contract to supply ma
hogany to the government. He is
charged with the same violation.
vrooman was in charge of the in
spection of propeller lumber. in
cluding mahogany. He denied,
however, ever inspecting any lun-
Der fro1 the corporation bearing his
name.
The Mahogany Manufacturers and
Import4rs' Association comes IN sor
| the hafdest wallop in the report.
Representatives of the government
We're p1id salaries in addition to those
receivSd from the government, the re-
port {hows. Some petty graft was
/ also discovered in one of the offices
of tho Signal Corps. All of these rat
tiers. NJ Gregory informed I he Io,as;-