Arizona republican., 1918-05-07
AIRPLANE WORK PROBE DEMANDED
 TO BE GRANTED
President Issues Order About Same Time That
 Gen. Squier and Howard Coffin Ask Investigation
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, May 6.-Talk of graft and mismanagement in the na- tional airplane construction program heard for months in senate debates and capitol lobby gissip, eliminated today in a presidential order for an in vestigation by the department of jus tice. Almost simultaneously it became known that Major General Squier, chief signal officer and until recently in di- rect charge of army aviation, had de- manded military court of inquiry.
 Coffin Asks Publicity
 The White House, in announcing President Wilson's action. made public a telegram received Saturday from Howard Coffin. former chairman of the aircraft board, urging an official inquiry that regulations of innocent men may not be ruined,' and a series of letters and telegrams exchanged be- tween the president and Gutzon Borg lum, the sculptor, to whom is attributed responsibility for statements that cor ruption in the expenditure of funds and pro- German intrigue have hin- dered airplane production.
 To Be Fully Probed
 There also was a letter written by the president today to Senator Thomas of Colorado, a member of the senate military committee, assuring him that every instrumentality of the depart ment of justice will be used to pursue charges of dishonesty or malversation of any kind if MT. Borglum's allega tions are found worthy of serious con sideration. Senator Thomas laid be- 1 fore the president last week assertions made to members of the committee by l the sculptor.
 | Status of Mir RoruIunn
 The exact status of Mir Borglum as an investigator. which until now has been more or less of a mystery to the public, is cleared up by the cor respondence It develops that after the sculptor had written to Secretary 1 Tumulty last November in regard to alleged defects in the aviation organi zation and the desirability of having certain experts called in, the president asked him to present his ideas. Later, on January }, the president wrote a letter to Mir. Borglum asking him to come to Washington and lay the lat ter before the secretary of war and. | with the aid of member of the sec | retary's personal staff, discover the facts by personal investigation. Borg lum did this and on March 29, the president wrote him that he had placed the material he had furnished at the disposal of gentlemen to whom he. had committed the task of making a sys- tematic inquiry into the whole aviation 1 situation. These gentlemen were the | special committee headed by H. Snow den Marshall of New York, whose pre- liminary report preceded the recent re- organization of the army aviation service and the appointment of John D. Ryan as director general. Wants to Boss Inquiry
 Apparently. the sculptor resented not being allowed to carry out the inquiry | himself. In response to a complaint that he had not been supplied with suitable expert assistance, the presi- dent on April 15. informed him that he feared he had been under a serious misapprehension as to his status.
 ''I never at any time constituted
 you an official investigator wrote
 the president. "I merely cave you
 the right to look into the matter
 of your own motion, and l am sure
 in the letter which the secretary
 of war provided you with he gave
 you with the same purpose and
 idea"
 The president closed by expressing the hope that Mir. Borglum would fee
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