New-York tribune., 1918-03-23
(Flom The World Yesterday

WASHINGTON, March 21.- Mr.
Bo1glum was first empowered to discover
the facts far as he could in letter from
the President on January .
After about two weeks of inquiry Mr.
Borglum presented his first document, which
he called preliminary one, as follows:
:" | came here gladly to meet a wish
expressed by you. | accepted your commits
sion in the faith and to the letter of the
language in which it was drawn, and have
fulfilled that wish, but the effort, together
with the strange revelations that have be-
come property to me, has filed me with ap
prchenson for the success of your great
Elan for our common country and mankind
generally.
"Thc general situation indicates terri
bic state OF confusion and irrcgularity, as
report shows, due to self-interest and in
trigue, together with predetermination to
thNart the effort of our nation and the
work of able and trusted assistants.
"Our Aeronautic Board Of Production has
been, frankly and Aaty, promoters enter
prise and it stands to-day an undeveopcd
organization. With all the nations
sources at its command it has not produced
a single service or battle plane that could
be ordered across the lines.
"Contracts for $500 training planes have
been let OF this number. after seven
months Of the most advertised and eff
cient government authorized work, we have
on hand 1,44A Of which 40 per cent are
either worn out or useless.
Only Motor Falls
"Thc only engine (thc Liberty motor)
that has been flying machine and submit
ted to daily experimental tests fell at Min
cola on the evening Of the 18th, due to "a
break that strikes at the very principle OF
its construction, which forces US to realize
that the two great departments, wood work
ing and engines, arc in deplorabe condi-
ton.
"rhc production board was provided with
the best materials, the nations purse and
unlimited power. Europe constantly daily
informed them of her latest Designs to
have these ignored until too late to serve.
They have utilized an almost negligible
portion of the available manufacturing ia
cilities in the country in wood, metal prod
ucts and engines, and have antagoNizod the
remaining large production by unfuliillcd
promises for work. while over.commiss ssion-
ing three or four favored organizato ions.
"Nor have they hcstatcd to promise and
advance money to interests whore member
or members were connected with them, and
actually aided in building and over commits
siOnng companies whore no facilities OK
istcd, awarding millions to companies has
tily formed by business partners upon prop
critics owned by members Of the board.
"Whcn we realize that it is estimated
that half an acre Of factory floor space and
$50 employees produce acroplanc day:
that VIC have upward Of eighty acres en-
gagged in this production in America sup
ported by hundreds of millions of canita.
active for over six months with contracts
committing them to possible daily output
Of Il hundred and ffty-iivc machines; that
their entire output daily does not exceed
eleven school planes, the situation becomes.
clear
Remember also that the Curtiss plant.
the Dayton Wright, Standard Springfield
and a halfdozcn others engaged in this
manufacture, possessing an acreage of be-
tween 80 and 100, are giving us eleven
school planes (machnes), while in Canada
at Toronto, little factory of two and ,
half acres. employing 1,40O people, half Of
them women, is delivering to the United
States five training planes a day, and has
loaned the great Curtss company training
planes in excess of its own output to meet
the Curtss failures.
Colonel Deeds
he Liberty motor is story by itself
and is too extensive and complicated fo,
me to weary you with at this time.
However no one can progress in this in
vestigation without feeling a STRANGE nor.
sonncl, the influence of an organized MOSS
bureau, a strange, uniformed activitv nv
the official group toward developinr certain
connecting or long associated interests Tbn
official world looks upon General Sou;cr ~
the soul and centre of aviation. tho MOSS
and the man in the street look upon Mr.
Collin as the builder of great feet of air.
ships that Will some time darken tho Gov.
man sun; but the aeronautic and tho mann
featuring world knows that Mr.. (now Colo.
nel) Deeds dominates everything.
Colonel Deeds is listed as an ono;ro.~
but investigation proves he is trained in nn
profession. He is a successful salesman
and promoter"
AT this point Mr.. Borglum rocs into do.
tal regarding Colonel Deeds. and dovotos
about 1,5o0 words to an attack upon him
much of which has been found to bc rn
supported by fact, and most Of which !.
llbcllous, If not untrue. The writer odds
that deliberate retardation and nro.Cou