The Winslow mail., 1923-11-02
AIR SITUATION IS
CAUSE Of ANXIETY
UNITED STATES FALLS BEHIND
OTHER NATIONS IN MATTER
OF PLANE BUILDING.
COUNTRY is OPEN TO ATTACK
Military Organizations and Authorities
Worried by the VuInerabIity of the
National Defense Due to Develop
ment of Aerial Warfare.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK

WaShingtOn.-The Military Order OF
the World War, an organization COM
posed of American commissioned OIL
GERS who took part in the great con-
flict, has just closed it's annual con-
vention in Washington. In it's proceed
ings the organization laid particular
stress on the necessity of an increased
air service for America unless other
nations are to put an end to their am
bilious military plane building pro-
gram.
The American Legion holds its an
nual convention in San Francisco the
middle of October. It will urge the
convocation of an international air-dis-
armament conference. 1t is understood
that the administration and the War
department In Washington are opposed
to the idea of conference of this
kind unless it is certain in advance
that the other nations are likely TO
agree, and it is said that this today
seems improbable.
The truth seems to be that the Amer
lean military authorities, thinking on
defense Of the country in case of pos
sible trouble, are becoming worried
over the air situation.
Men interested in all kinds Of air
planes for whatever purpose have just
held meeting in st. Louis. There
officers of the service made statements
concerning the situation in this coun-
try, and the situation in those other
countries which are making special eff
forts to increase their air fleets believ-
ing that they will be deciding factors
in another war, if it shall come.
America Falls Behind.
The whole defense situation has
changed since the great war began in
1914. Then it was known, Of course,
that airplanes would play a great part
in offensives and defensives, but it was
not dreamed that the day would come
when flying machines would be SEEM
ingly the all-in-all for war purposes.
France and Great Britain have gone
ahead with air preparations on n scale
which is somewhat staggering. One
nation seems to be building in order
to keep pace with the ether. Nobody
knows where the thing will stop.
AS things are today, the United
States, while it is abreast of the times
in airplane knowledge, is far behind
the times in airplane equipment. The
aviators of the United States are as
good as those to be found anywhere
in the world, but the expressed fear
is that if trouble shall come the Unit
ed States actually will be unable to
defend itself against airplanes which
would come from plane-carrying YES
sells of possible enemy.
Gen. George W. Goethals, who was
the chief engineer in the construction
of the Panama canal, recently wrote
an article on the commercial and mill
tary features of that waterway. In
this article he says: without the
canal we would be obliged to maintain
two enormous fleets for naval protec-
ton; without the canal our defensive
coast line would be extended down
around Cape Horn.
Recent combined naval maneuvers
resulted in the theoretical destruction
of the canal locks by the Pacific fleet,
and both Secretary Of War Weeks and
Secretary of the Navy DENLY called
attention to the vulnerability Of the
canal now that aviation has taken it's
place as an offensive fighting army"
National Defense Is Vulnerable.
The Washington Post, in comment
ing on this article, puts the air situa-
tion in just about the way that the
American military and naval authori-
ties put it. 1t says:
"a plain fact stares the people in
the face. 1t is the vulnerability of
the national defense, not only at Pan
ANA but on all coasts. This vulnera-
bility results from the development of
an aerial warfare.
"Foreign nations are not neglecting
the new situation that confronts them,
as it confronts the United States. They
are readjusting their national defenses
to conform to advancement in the art
of war. No large nations, except the
United States and China, are failing to
provide defenses against an aerial at
tack. Great Britain, France, Italy, ia
pan and the smaller nations have
grasped the fact that they must recast
their plans for national defense"
Now, it may be that the new ad-
ministration will do what the Ameri-
can Legion unquestionably is to ask it
to do-call conference similar to the
limitation of armaments conference,
for the purpose of limiting the building
of airplanes. If this is not done, how
ever, it is virtually certain that the
United States, in order to insure itself
against overwhelming coastal attacks
in the future, will be compelled to
spend an enormous amount of money
70 the development of its air service.
Welsh Greet Lloyd George.
When Lloyd George comes to Wash
ington he will be greeted by two
American cabinet officers whose ra-