Evening star., 1925-03-06
COL. FECHET GETS
MITCHELL POST
WITH AIR SERVICE
Denoted General to Continue
to Work for Cause That
Brought Removal.
SAYS HE is SATISFIED
WITH TURN OF EVENTS
New Leader Rose From Ranks,
Saw Service in Spanish and
World Wars.

WUIlu "dls.
The name of Col. James E. Fechet
was sent to the White House today
as the War Departments choice to
succeed Brig. Gen. William Mitchell,
assistant chief of the Air Service,
whose public utterances in the con-
troversy over air power have kept
official Washington on edge for sew
eral weeks.
The nomination of Col. Fechet, car
rying the rank of brigadier general,
was sent to the Senate by President
Coolidge a short time after he had
s. ;retary Weeks.
Gen. Mitchell will revert to the rank
of colonel on April 81, the day his
successor takes office, but Secretary
Weeks has not yet decided on a new
assignment for him. Announcement
that he would not be retained in his
present post, however, had been
known for several days
May Get Post Sought.
There have been intimations that
Gen. Mitchell desired to be assigned
4 s air service officer on the staff of
the commandant of the Sixth Corps
Area, Chicago. 1t is believed that he
VIII be assigned in accordance with
his wishes, although formal orders
10 that erect are not expected to be
issued until about the time his change
In status occurs.
Determinatio of Secretary Weeks
to recommend Col. Fechet's appoint
ment was made after complete study
n
available officers.
The fact that Col. Fechet rose from
the ranks as did Gen. Mitchell and
that he had extensive service in the
cavalry and was a graduate of the
service school at Fort Leavenworth is
believed to have influenced Mr.
Weeks in his final decision
1t had been said heretofore that the
change would take place March 26,
but Adjt. Gen. Robert C. Davis, on
examination of. the records, fixed
April p as the day on which Gen
Mitchell accepted his assignment as
assistant chief and the rank OF brig
adler general, which goes with 1t.
Mitchell Sees Test.
Gen. Mitchell was at Langley Field,
Va, today to witness anti-aircraft
gun demonstrations when the an
nouncement of his successor was
ment prepared by him before his de-
parture.
The question of my reappointment
as assistant chief of the Air Service,
is a small matter" The statement
said The question of the reorganiza-
ton OF our system of national defense
is a very big matter. The people must
decide what our national defense
should be. and to arrive at conclusion
hoy MI CT L la t0IA +, 4,
about what We have, what we need and
how it should be handled.
AS soon az the sound of the cannon
had ceased on the western front the
forces of retrogression began to work
In our country. This was because our
participa ton in the war had been of
such dura ton that the old, inefficient
bureaucratic system of handling our
national defense had not yet been en-
tirely eliminated and replaced by new
and efficient system and personnel, as
was the case in the countries of Eu-
rope and with us during the Civil
War.
Says Service Different.
Aviation is very different from
either armies or navies in it's eco
nomic aspects. Every military air
plane can be used in time of peace
for some useful undertaking not
necessarily connected with, war
Every pilot employed in civil avia-
tion can be used in case of war
and is 80 per cent efficient, al least
in time of peace. Every mechanic
used in civil aviation is 100 per cent
efficient in time of war. In time
of peace the bulk of the effort and
thought of a nati~n in an aeronautical
way may be applied to civil and COM
mercial development of aeronautics,
and this same effort and thought can
be shifted at once to military pur-
poses. There is no reason, for in
stance, why the air forces in time of
peace should not be employed in map
ping the country, patrolling the for
ests to prevent forest fires, carrying
the mail, eliminating insect pests
from cotton, fruit trees and other
vegetation. and in making an aero
nautical commercial transportation
survey of the country to determine
what can be carried economically and
at profit through the air instead of
on boats, railroads and by automo-
biles, and in working out new COM
mercial air routes throughout the
world. The Government, for instance,
in time of peace, should maintain
only small percentage of its total
aerial strength on strictly military
duty; the rest could be used on civil
work for the greater part of the time
and assembled for month or so
each year to perform maneuvers and
military training.
Hits Old system.
Armies and navies are no longer
capable of enunciating or putting into
effect the complete military policy for
q country. The voice of the air must
be listened to in all councils with
equal force as is that of the Army
and Navy. We are further behind in
our arrangements of national defense
in this country, commensurate with
our position, strength and wealth,
than any other great nation. We are
spending too much money, getting too
0ttle for 1t, have only the most rudi-
Kentary plans for the future and no
organization capable of carrying them
out in their entirety.
Our national defense should be CO.
ordinated under a single direction
with a secretary of the national de-
fense, to have under him subsecre-
tarles of air, land and water. There
should be council in connection with
. this department having in ii the Sec
retary of State, Secretary of the
Treasury and the subsecretaries of
air, land and water. to recommend
the policies of national defense to the