New-York tribune., 1919-08-01
Complete Examination of
Aviation Enterprise Is
Inaugurated With View
to Bare Shortcomings
Fight Is Led by Frear
Secretary Of War Reveals
U. S. Was Not Expected
to Send PLANES Abroad
NeW York Tribune
WdshinQfon bureau

New York Tribune
Washington B'.reau
WASHINGTON, July 81. With
Chairman Frear attacking and Secre-
tary Of War Baker defending, the avia-
tion subcommittee of the House COM
mittee charged with investigating ex-
penditures in the War Department, be-
gan to-day n complete examination Of
the wartime aviation enterprise. The
policy, performance, organization and
personnel are to be scrutnizcd, with
a view to proving aircraft production
during the war was conceived in error,
blunderingly administered, wastefully
directed and often prostituted to pri.
vate gain and advantage, with the
result that it was disgraccful fail
ure.
The attack to-day centred around
Colonel Edward A. Deeds and the Lib
erty motor. Mr.. Frear sought to show
that Colonel Deeds and others charged
with the direction Of aircraft produc-
tion knew nothing of aeronautic$, and
that they intrustcd the making Of air
planes and engines to compan;e les
equal y Ignorant or Inexperienced;
Secretary Baker defended or excused
the "aircrafters," and expressed thc
greatest confidence in Colonel Deeds
as manufacturer, executive and
patriot, and thought him above con
siderations of personal advancement
Or selfish interest.
Policy Justified Says Baker
Early in the examination Mr.. Frear
dwelt on the concentration of effort
on the production of the Liberty
motor, largely to the exclusion oc
other aviation engines, and asked
Secretary Baker what was his opin-
ion of that policy.
81 think it was fully justified" was
the answer. CAT the time of the
armistice we were manufacturing Lib
eTty motors at a so much greater rate
than the British were making their
motors motors that the British, and also the
French and Italians, were all looking
to us for engines. When | was in Eng
land, in September, 1918, the British
we've so eager for Liberty motors that
they were willing to give US almost
anything else in exchange for them"
"Then you feel that it was the cor
rect policy to concentrate on Liberty
motors, to the exclusion of all other
types 2"
I'VE didn't quite do that We took
up the Liberty as composite of the
best proved aeronautical engines. 1t
was to be suspectbic of production in
dlifercnt degrees of power, from four
to- twelve cylinders and perhaps more,
with interchange parts and without
involving different design for each
degree of power. We also put the
Hispano-Suiza and other engines into
production"
Squier Technical Expert
Who was rcsponsb bic for the Liberty
motor decsion?"
General Squier, chief signal officer:
Colonel Waldon, Colonel MONTGOMERY
and others associated with them"
colonel Waloon was an automobile
man, was he not, and Colonel Mont
gomery was a banker-were anv of
them, so far as you know, practical
aircraft men?''
SECRETARY Baker answered that Cen
eral Squler was very highly educated
technical man and that some of the
army offlcers IN his organization were
experts IN aeronautics, as, for exam
pie, Colonel Virginius Clarke"
CHAIRMAN Frear turned to the report
OF the subcommittee of the Senate
Nliltary Affairs Committee on its in
VeStlgatlon of aircraft production in
the summer of 1918. and from that time
on based his examination of Secretary !
baker largely on the findings of that
report and also on the report made by
Charles f. Hughes.
Referring to a statement bv the
senate committee that of the S64O, ,OOO.-
oo0 early appropriated by Congress "a
suostantlal part was practically vast
eo' Mr.. frear asked the Secretary
"hat he thought about it..
Thinks Statement Erroneous
thlnk that statement was erron-
eouS, was the answer. which was
quallhed by remark that the commit
tee probably was not fully informed.
OH regard the findings of the SEN
ate committee as reliable, do you not.
ana free from political motives? 2"
ANY finding made by Senate COM
mlttec is entitled to great respect E"
answered the Secretary with smile
IT is incredible that there was anv
political motive in aything that was
done IN investigating army aviation"
Mr. Frear remarked that the United
states did not produce a single pursuit
macnlne, no heavy bombing planes, and
mat the de Haviland As, the only
Amerlcan-made airplanes sent to
france, had such a small gasoline ca
paclty. as we'll as other defects. that
they were practically useless
Conceding that no pursuit planes
were made, Secretary Baker defended
the de Haviland Four, though admit
tlng that there was much difference
Of opinion concerning it.
Il have had some aviators tell me-"
he said, "that they were the best ma
chimes they had ever flown in, and
others said they would not go up in
one of them. John D. Ryan went to
the front in France and mingled with
the hlers and found the greatest en-
thuslasm among them for the de
Havlands. But this is also true-that
the de Havllands were being succeeded
by other machines that aroused the
amazement and admiration of our 1y
ing men. The progress in military
aeronautlcs was so rapid that almost
every machine began to be obsolescent
~ the time it reached quantity pro-
duction.'
Failed in Bristol plane
But day was worth year then"
said Mr.. Frear
Mr.. Baker admitted that the effort
to adapt the Liberty motor to the
BRISTOL plane was a failure
Asked If he would say that. after
sixteen months wthou producing
single fighting machine. General
Squler was competent man for his
position. the Secretary said he was
not disposed to criticise, that the art
OF aircraft making was very difficult. |
AS to the failure to reproduce for
elgn models here, he answered that
reproduction of foreign machines by
American processes of quantity manu-
tiacture was very difficult. Being re-
1erred to statement of General |