Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-03
Will Interpose No Objection to
Congressional In.
vestigation.
OFFICIALS WANT LIBERTY
MOTOR STATUS FIXED
Efficiency, Rather Than Pedigree, Is
Sought to Be Es.
tablished.

The White House will interposc no
objections to any congressional inves-
tigation of aircraft production.
In fact. though no official statement
has been made, il is no: unlikely that
President Wilson may take further
steps to clear the whole muddled aero
plane situation.
Already the President has snught to
inform himsel: about the progress in
airplane production. He gave Grtzon
Borglum free rein to make tho inves-
tion from Congress. ara later ne ap-
pointed the Snow den Marshall commit
tee. which went more systematically
and thoroughly into the question. snd
recommended the appointment Of .
single administrator: fo- production.
This recommendation resulted in the
appointment of John D. Ryan. The fact
that he has gone about his new work
without making any promises. and
seems determined to put work already
done to the acid tes. before continuing
along old lines. already has created a
favora BILE impression about the future
of this country's aircraft program.
Want Confidence Maintained.
Anxious as they are that past mis-
takes be Investigated, officials of the
administration are desirous that con-
fidence in the future airplane program
be rot destroyed Especially are they
anxious that the liberty motor be ac-
cepted or rejected on its own merits.
rather than upon the process by which
it was developed.
They contend that its pedigree matters
much less than its efficiency now. and
that sharp distinction should be drawn
between the manner Of its evolution and
the cold facts about the manner in which
1t meets wartime demands.
Omcials who have had occasion to look
into the activities Of the aircraft board,
but who have not been connected with II,
today explained the connection between
the Packard motor and the liberty motor.
When the aerial possibilities OF modern
warfare were realized suddenly. just as
those of the submarine were at an earlier
date, there had been little experimentation
with motors for aeroplane work. A few
companies had been carrying on expert
mentS in this line.
Packard Expert Foremost.
One of these companies was the Pack
ard company, it was stated. and among
the men engaged by them was the fore
most expert in this field in the country.
When men were brought to Washing
ton. and they were exceedingly hard
to find, to help in the development of
q motor for American planes. this man
came here, with others. to assist In
the task 1t came about naturally that
the ideas he had gathered during his
for a private company
should be used in developing a motor
for the governments use.
AS it stands today the liberty motor;
it is held, has been modified and
changed until it has met every test
possible short Of that entailed by actual
service in thousands OF machines on the
western front 1t is not contended by
these experts that the liberty motor is
the last word in aeroplane motors. and
it is likely that service conditions will
entail further modification. just as all
the motors in planes Of other armies
are being modified constantly under ex-
perience that can come only with their
actual use.
whether there was any undue gain
accruing to any one in the course OF the
of aeroplane making 10 q
matter for the Department of Justice.
and should be kept entirely separate
from the question of the efficacy of the
product, it is held.
Cast Doubt on Irregularities.
Disinterested officials who have been
in touch with the program do not be.
Lieve that there has been any Irregular
tiles such as those charged by Senator
Hitchcock, and they are perfectly will
ing that such charges be Investigated.
They do believe that there has been
an unfortunate exaggeration and dis
tortion of facts about Liberty motor
1t is held that some Of
this press agent work was performed.
not in an effort to mislead the public,
but in a sincere, If misguided, attempt
to thrill the nation with the possi-
bilities of aerial warfare and as a
means of getting appropriations to
carry on the work. Some officials still
hold that without the glowing press
agent work of Howard Coffin and
,thers, which included glittering prom
ses that experts warned them could
lot be cas-ted out, that the initial steps
.oward deveIoping aeroplane manufac-
.ure could not have been tSken.
II has become known that high So
ials of the War Department, the Sig
al Corps and the Aircraft Board were
rged as early as last November to put
stop to sending. out reports OF prog
ess which were misleading. The per-
ons who sounded these warnings seem
My to have succeeded in getting them
elves disliked and regarded as gloomy
essimists The fiamboyant advertising
,ent on at a rate which raised the pub
Ic expectation so high that it is hard
0 make the people appreciate today
he actual, substantial progress which
as been made in the development of
rotor which will perform under service
onditions.
Gave Public What It Wanted.
Defenders of that sort Of publicity
old that the public likes to think of
INVENTIONS as Inspirations rather than
s developments requiring hard study
nd long experimentation. SO they re-
orted to the old game of giving the
ublic what it wanted" or what they
hought it wanted.
The liberty motor. it is stated. has
cen submitted to exacting tests by
persons. 1t has found
avor with experts of the allies, who
ave observed it carefully. 1t has even
cen put into foreign machines. and
rench aviators have tried it out on
ne western front. It is considered an
xcellent motor. serviceable for the