The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-14
Secretary BAKER
AND BIRDMEN At
ODDS OVERPLANES
Army General Staff Sides
With Cabinet Official to 0p-
pose Establishment of In
dependent Aviation Service
by DAVID

tSpeclai ~orresponuen OF me NEWS
WASHINGTON. aug. n.-setous
differences OF opinion which affect
very vitality the future defense Of the
United States have arisen between
Secretary Of War Baker and the gem
eral staff OF the army on the one hand,
and on the other by the majority OF the
helped win the war by aerial combat
in France, With the airmen stand no
less authorities than Marshal Foch,
Gen, PeTshinE, Admiral Beatty, Sir
Douglas Haig. Winston Churchill and
the chiefs of air service IN France,
Italy and Great Britain. Z
All the men who have had experience
overseas believe the lessons Of five
years OF mistakes in aviation require
the setting up Of an Independent air
service which shall cooperate with
the land or naval forces IN time Of war
as required but which shall be trained
separately.
Assistant Secretary Of wa Crowell,
who has just returned from Europe
after interviews with the leading gem
erals, admirals and statesmen abroad,
presented a unanimous report on pc
half Of himself and his colleagues adj
~yocating such a step,
But Secretary Baker, influenced
strongly by the views Of the general
staff OF the army. has turnedit down.
Senator New, Republican, has intro
duced a bill In line with CroweIl's rec
concentrations.
1t would appear that the natural line
Of cleavage would be for the Republic
an congress TO take the side Of men
like Gen. Pershing and the airmen who
have seen service overseas and the
views OF the experts abroad who believe
aircraft Of prime Importance TO future
defense.
Secretary Baker turns down the
Crowell report with this observation:
1.-THE mission has In my judgment
gone too far in suggesting a single cen-
tralized air service. Military pilots are
trained TO fight slngly or In formation,
to operate in coordination with other
branches of the military service, so
that their training must be military.
Their own efficiency and that Of the
other branches Of the service depends
upon the most intense and constant
associated training, and a separation
Of the air service from the army or
navy would require coordination Of
their activities in time OF war whereas
effectiveness in military operation rests
upon the concentration and singleness
Of authority, command and purpose
Reply of Airmen.
To this the airmen reply that, of
course, the aviation service would
nHtEhNt uNhtI u GIilklh tDIllttlhtlh III AlIilt
Of war Just as the navy or marine
corps does whenever Joint operations
are necessary, but that there Ia no
more reason for keeping the army and
the air service. the weapons OF the
land and air, combined and associated
than there is to keep land and sea In
strumdntalities together.
They argue, moreover, that, with the
infantry, artillery and other important
branches OF military operation on land
to take care Of the air service would
again be lest sight Of as 1t was in the
recent war and that America win be
left far behind other nations which are
concentrating on aerial warfare. In
deed, the airmen argue that the time
is coming when nations whoN dominate
the air will begin to overcome armies
and navies, toe, by bombardment from
above.
There 10 reason to believe that the
navy here does not oppose a separate
air service, though, Of courseJ n small
number naturally prefer 10 keep tht
present organization intact, But tn,
real opposition from inside thu
army, where the keenest rivalry Of 9th,
err organizations lis felt. To create {
separate air service, for instance, woule
mean new officers of high rank ant
that might diminish the number o
army officers who could retain theil
present high rank,
All OF these things are to be taker
into consideration. though tho funda.
mental objection is not 80 much per
sonal ms military, Men who have no
experience In flying do not understand
the art or the remarkable part IL playet
overseas In winning the war. Indeed
the time is coming when tho theoretl,
cal views ~ the officers who were un.
fortunately compelled 70 stay on Thu
side of the ocean will conflict yer,
strikingly with the practical views o
the men who actually saw the i'm
mense operations In France.
The air service men are fighting hare
TO get an Independent mir service q
this time, for they believe, II they los
the pilots n experienced observer
who are now In the army, they vii
not soon recover them and the les
sons Of the European wal will not b
taught future Youths by men who knoS
the air game from first-hand contact,
Already the air service Is going /
pieces, Though members of the hous
military affairs committee have sug
gested q remedy, the war department
has not changed Its orders whereby tn
air service viii lose about 1000 expe
rienced pilots by the end Of next month
Only 1000 officers win remain an
about il,000 enlisted men, OF the 100
about half are pilots, The air servic
men wanted to keep at least 1900 as
nucleus for future expansion and dc
velopment.
IoanwnncsL;lsAx S. nIo-