Norwich bulletin., 1918-05-11

! Washington, May 10. - Sensational sworn statements, letters and tele grams from the files of the army in telligence service were read into the senate record today to show Gutzon Borglum, while holding personal commission from President Wilson to inquire into the governments aviation program, was negotiating secretly 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 "hiS personal friendship with President Wilson, whom he stated ne could do anything | With.'
 With Borglum was associated, ac- | cording to the documents, Hugo C.. | Gibson, an employe of the British ministry of munitions of war in the | United States, located in New York; who was to share in the deal Detailed Account Among the Papers.
 A formal statement by Kenyon w. Mix, of the Dodge Manufacturing com l ed account of his negotiations with the l two men, is among the papers put into | the Congressional Record. They were
 presented by Senator Thomas of Colo 1 rado, a member of the senate military 1 committee, who has been particularly active in connection with the aircraft agitation.
 1 The Mix statement shows that gov I ernment officials including Vice Presi- dent Marshall and Howard E. Coffin, former head of the aircraft board, have had most of the information disclosed today since last January. There is no i indication, however. that it reached President Wilson himself at that time
 or that the president knew. of it's eX-
 istence until several weeks ago, when he called a halt upon the sculptor'S investigations in his name.
 II All of the documents submitted by l Senator Thomas as well as much other
 data from the war department have
 been placed in the hands of Assistant
 Attorney General Frierson, who has
 just started the inquiry ordered by the
 president into charges of graft disloy- atty and incompetency in the govern
 ment aircraft program. These charges
 referred to first in capitol cloak room
 gossip and finally on the floor of the
 senate, have been attributed largely tC
 assertions of Borglum.
 Statement Accusing Borglunn.
 With the Mix statement there was filed today a copy of a formal state ; ment accusing Borglum made to the l military intelligence section of the army general staff late in January by
 Henry Harrison Suplee, Mix's consult
 ing engineer. and who participated 1T many of the conferences on the sub- l iect of the proposed corporation witt
 Borglum and Gibson described by hi: l chief The latter says he became sus- picious when he visited Borglum 1T
 Washington during January and wa! shown President Wilson's letter au- thorizing the investigation by tht : sculptor and decided then to report tht whole matter to government authori
 ties.
 Theres are intin1at tions that a grea Z deal of information bearing on Borg 3 lums activities and motives has beer l assemb bled by the army intelligence 3 service. There is an unconfirmed re port in official circles that evidence o German influences in some form vii t be brought to light when the full stor! l is revealed.