San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-06
they should not be allowed to appear
before legislative body.
AIRMEN ARE BLUFFED.

"The airmen themselves are bluffed
and bulldozed so that they dare not
tell the truth in the majority of cases,
knowing full well that K they do,
they will be deprived of their future
career, sent to the most out of the
way places to prevent their telling
the truth and deprived of any chance
for advancement unless they subscribe
to the dictates of their Notifying
bureaucratic superiors. These either
distort facts or openly tell falsehoods
about aviation to the people and to
the Congress.
DEPARTMENTS "UNIONIZED."
Both the War an Navy Depart
ments maintain publ. propaganda
agencies which are supposed to publish
truthful facts about our National De-
tense to the American people. These
departments, remember, are supported
by the taxes Of the people and were
created for the purpose of protecting
us from invasion from abroad and
from domestic disturbances from with
in. What has actually happened in
these departments is that they have
formed a sort of union to perpetuate
their own existence, largely irrespec-
tive Of the public wclfare-and acting.
as we might say about commercial
organization that had entire control
of a public necessity, as an illegal
combination in restraint of trade
1.-THE conduct of affairs by these
two departments, as far as aviation
is concerned, has been so disgusting In
the last few years as to make any
self-respecting person ashamed OF the
cloth he wears. Were it not for the
great patriotism of our air officers
and their absolute confidence in the
institutions of the United States,
knowing that sooner or later existing
conditions would be changed, l doubt
IL one Of them would remain with
the colors-certainly not, If he were
real man.
THE story is long one, beginning
practically with the inception Of
aviation in this country. so / shall
mention only a few things in con-
nection with the disgraceful perform
anccs which have occurred this sum
mer.
Seeing no progress In our efforts,
which had been continued for years,
to convince or even seriously interest
the governing bodies of the War and
Navy Departments to better our aero
nautical condition, we were stirred to
further action by the killing of Lieu
tenant Pierson and Captain Skeel in
the dilapidated racing airplanes, dur.
ing last 0ctober's Air Meet.
EQUALIZED PROPAGANDA
@This was caused by an arrange
ment between the Navy and Army,
that the Navy should take the racers
one year and the Army should take
them the next year, thereby equalizing
propaganda, not service. Instead Of
building new iairplanes. our men were
given the old crates to fly at those
terrific speeds. OF course, they came
to pieces as they were designed for
only one race two years before. This
was done in spite of the fact that we
had sufficient money to build new
ships according to entirely advanced
patterns and few safety factors.
I'VE, In the air fraternity, then and
there decided to put the issue square
~ up to Congress and the people.
We received an immediate response
from the people and Congress, because
they saw the right of our proposition,
which was TO make a single depart
ment of National Defense with sub
secretaries for the land, the air and
the water, each to have an equal
voice in our National Defense sys.
TEN. The general scheme, by the way,
has been adopted bp practically every
civilized country in the world. Had
this measure reached the floor Of the
House Of Representatives last winter,
it probably would have passed by a
large majority.
Congress also provided that not
less than fifty thousand dollars, out
of moneys already appropriated, could
be spent for the aerial bombardment
Of battleships and shipping board
vessels while under their own steam
and moving, so as to set at rest any
doubt Of aircraft's ability to destroy
and sink any seacraft which floats
on the water.
PEOPLE AWAKENING.
at was evident then that the
American people were awakening to
the necessity for a chsnge and that
If this change were u be prevented
by the War and Navj Departments,
that they must act at onco. What
was the result? Steam was gotten
up by the navy on the one hand to
disproyo and deprecate the value of
air power and show the value of the
surface vessels and battleships, and
on the part OF the army TO fool the
public as to the value of anti-aircraft,
cannon and machine guns. Any OPP
erations by the Air Service to sink
the ships, as provided for by the law
of the land. were stopped. Now, what
have the army and navy done to show
that the existing obsolete systems
should be maintained?
First, the great Pacific naval
maneuvers-the main features Of these
were the. assembling of fleet Of some
14S surface vessels in the Pacific,
the parade up our Pacific Coast and
entrance into San Francisco harbor
and then the trip to Honolulu. Press
representatives and congressional
committees galore were handled, fed
and entertained according to the good
old navy's propaganda system. It was
heralded that the navy had taken the
Hawaiian Islands.
Now, let us see what actually
would have happened had there been
war. Suppose that we had been at
war with a Pacific power and this
fleet OF surface vessels had been in
San Francisco harbor. Instantly, the