The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-05-11
Sensational Testimony Civ.
en- Against Presidents Of
fetal Aircraft Pr0ber
WAS TO CAPITALIZE
WILSON'S FRIENDSHIP
In the Formation of Corporation to
Produce Aircraft-Sculptor Brands
Charges as Scurrilous Frame Up
President But Recently Informed.

WASHINGTON, May 1l-Sensa-
tional sworn statements, letters and
kilograms from the files of the army in
telligence service, were read into the
senate record yesterday to show that
Gutzon Borglum, while holding a per
sonal commission from President vii
son to inquire into the government s
aviation program, was negotiating Sc
cretlv for the formation of a private
airplane company to take war contracts
and capitalize his friendship with the
President
The sculptor, who has been the chief
critic of aircraft production officials, is
represented as seeking for himself a
position as silent partner in the pro
posed new corporation, his sole asset
IN the transaction to be This personal
friendship with President Wilson,
whom, he stated, he could do anything
with
With Borglum was associated. accord
ing to the documents, Hugo c. Gibson,
an emplove of the British ministry of
munitions of war in the United States,
located in New York, who was to share
in the deal
A formal statement by Kenyon W.
Mix of the Dodge manufacturing com
pany of Indiana, setting forth a detailed
account of his negotiations with the two
men, IS among the papers put into the
congressional record. They were pre-
scented by Senator Thomas of Colorado,
a member of the senate military com
mittee, who has been particularly active
in connection with the aircraft agita-
ton. The Mix statement shows that
government officials, including Vice
President Marshall and Howard T.
| Coffin, former head of the aircraft
board. have had most of the informa-
tion disclosed Yesterday since last Jan.
| uary. There is no Indication, however
| that it reached President Wilson him,
self at that time or that tho President
knew Of its existence until d few week.
| ago, when he called halt upon the
sculptor $ Investigations in his name.
| In statement issued at New \ orb
| last night Gutzon Borglum characterized
| as ScurrlouS frame up the charges
! Hldtit dSdillSi HiU III W dSUltSIOD NtSltI
| day III relation to his connection will
the investigation Of airplane production
in the United States.
-" This scurrilous frame-up, which
charge it to be, has been in the hand>
of the government for months hs
said, ''and is now sprung when it ha>
finally become evident that I shall per
sist until the airplane failure is honestly
and thoroughly investigated.
1.-The charges of Mix, confesse,
tool of Deeds, and Mix s engineer art
lies. unreservedlv, both i'll inference ant
statement, as applied to. me in anything
| ever did directly or indirectly thai
was improper in my capacity as a rep
resentative of the president.
''On the contrary, Mix sought my
assistance to help him find men of aero
nautic ability and other aid that would
enable him to produce, or reproduce, -;
small plane he had in mind and my ct
forts were TO assist him to stimulate in
terest in a production he had in mind
There is absolutely nothing else in til,
story.