Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-07
BORGLUM SAYS
GROUP HALTED
PLANE PROBER
Officials HeApproached Tried
to Mislead and Keep
Truth From Him
BY Assoeidicd Press


Washington, May Upon learn
ing of the publication of letters and
messages addressed to him by Presi-
dent Wilson in connection with the
aircraft program, Gutson Borglum'
last night gave out the text of an
open letter to the President in which
he expressed the hope that the cam
outage deliberately planned by
group of men entrusted with a great
arm of our military machine has
come to an end" but added that the
chart of reconstruction of the avia-
tion organization filled him with
definite alarm"
Mr.. Borglum said he had noticed
the publicity given his correspond
ence with something more than
shock and that he could hardly in
terpret it as friendly. In the course
of a long letter he declared that
the aero department is full of prof
iteering and that hundreds of mill
lions have gone" and that when he
commenced his investigation from an
Office in the War Department build
ing assigned to him, his work was
Systematically blocked, to the eX-
tent even of threatening witnesses.
He named in this connection Stanley
King, assigned as an aid to his work,
and asserted that Major General
Squier. chief of the signal corps,
acted in like manner"
Says Aid in Probe Was Withheld
Every official that l approached
and from whom l had the right TO
receive aid and courtesy entered in
to a general conspiracy to deceive,
to mislead, and to prevent learning
the truth about the aeronautic situ-
ation," the letter continued. Il do
not presume to give the reason for
this"
Remarking that Colonel E. A.
Deeds, an Army member of the air
craft board, has said semipublicly
| that 1900 American planes! were
flying in France, the sculptor as
serts, that in fact to-day there are
less than 20 planes.
Il have said the aero department
| is full of profiteering," the letter
said, that hundreds of millions have
gone, that factories have been Great
ed where there were no factories nee
| essary and contracts to the extent of
| fifty millions given to men who had
neither rhyme nor reason for the
remotest connection with the emerg-
ency of airplane production, but
who had the pull of Deeds and who
are still floundering in their ignor-
ance and incompetence, unable and
! incapable of fulfilling their con-
| tracts, still drawing under the cost
| plus system on the treasury of the
nation.
Il have said that aeronautic men
have been snubbed and ignored, and
| that factories that knew the art of
airplane building are even at this
writing without the slightest con-
| sideration by the group who dealt
out the colossal funds for their own
purpose"
Charges Alarm Borglum
Liberty motors were developed
for the purpose of monopolizing the
engine making business in the coun-
try, Borglum asserted and he con-
cluded:
Charges more grievous could not
| have been made against a depart
ment or group of men. Seven or
eight Investigations have been made
! besides my own and there is no sim
gle denial of anything | charge. The
Camouflage deliberately planned by
| n group of men entrusted with a
great war arm of our military ma
chine has come to an end, at least l
| hope it has come to an end, but the
chart of reconstruction which l saw
the day before yesterday fills me with
definite alarm"
Mr.. Borglum also gave out a copy
of a letter to President Wilson, dated
January 81, transmitting his first
report, which complained of at
tempts to block his investigation by
officials, but asserted that he had
been able to connect the broken
links of a chain of dishonesty and
disorder that runs throughout our
production department"
MUTUAL ASSOCIATION TO MEET
The monthly meeting of Local AS
sembly, No. 4, Mutual Beneficial AS
sociation of Pennsylvania Railroad
Employees, Incorporated will be held