Evening star., 1925-03-02
MITCHELL DISPUTES
CHARGE HE IGNORED
COOL|DGE'S ORDERS
Cites Presidents Letter of
Permission to Write Maga-
zine Articles.
PATRICK GAVE ASSENT,
COMMITTEE is INFORMED
Question of Violation Never Raised
Until Present Row With
Weeks, He Says.

Brig. Gen. William Mitchell. assist
ant chief of the Army Air Service
who was charged before the House
aircraft investigating committee by
Secretary of War Weeks that he vio-
lated my instructions and those of
the Preside mt" by publishing a series
of magazine articles, declared in a
letter to the committee today he had
in no way disobeyed or transgressed
any known order or instruction that
I am familiar with"
Gen. Mitchells letter said President
Coolidge had told him verbally and
in writing to obtain permission of
my superior officer, the chief of air
service" The chief Of air service, he
said, gave me permission to write
them No mention was made at all
about submitting copies
Read to Committee.
The letter, addressed to Chairman
Florian Lampert of the committee
was read by Mr.. Lampert when the
committee was called to order and
as Read Admiral Bradley A Fiske,
U. S. N. retired, was waiting to tes-
tify.
The letter follows:
According to press reports, I am
informed that evidence has been
given that l disobeyed the orders OF
the War Department and the Presi-
dent. or both, in writing some ar
ticles on air power, which were pub
lished in the Saturday Evening Post
1, therefore. desire to acquaint you
with the facts in the case.
In the month of November, 1924,
an editor of the Saturday Evening
Post called on me and desired that l
write a series of articles on air
power. This, informed him, 1 would
be very happy to do, but that IL
would be necessary for the ma agaxine
to obtain permission for me to do so.
Several days after this 1 received a
message from Philadelphia that one
of the editors had received an ap-
pointment with the President TO dis
cuss this subject Upon reaching the
White House the editor called my
office and asked if I had any objec-
tion to accompanying him in his in
terview with the President. / pro-
ceeded at once. The President re-
iterated his great Interest in aero
nautics which he has always shown
and said he considered a series OF ar
ticles on this subject to be beneficial
and that l should obtain the permis-
sion of my superior officer, the chief
of the Air Service. The editor of the
Saturday Evening Post and return
ed to my office 1 Immediately re-
ported to the chief of the Air Service
what had occurred and requested
permission to write the articles. He
gave permission then for me to write
them. No mention was made at all
about submitting copies.
Got Letter Later.
Following this conversation with
he nf
ceived the following letter from the
President:
November IL, 1924
" My Dear Gen. Mitchell:
Confirming my conversation with
you this morning. 1 do not know of
any objection to your preparing some
articles on aviation, so far as / am
concerned. But, of course, ! cannot
speak for your superior officers. The
matter should be taken up with them
and their decision in relation to the
articles followed
With kindest regards, I am
VERY truly yours,
CALVIN COOLIDGE
II therefore complied with both
the Presidents verbal and written
instructions.
Point Never Before Raised.
1.-THE point of my violating orders
was never raised, to my knowledge,
until the testimony given to your
committee on February 2S, 1925.
1T would seem that IL / had vio-
lated orders my attention should have
been drawn to them long before the
present time and action taken ac-
cordingly. These articles appeared
periodically and could have been
stopped had the War Department de-
sired. I have in no way disobeyed
or transgressed any known order or
instruction that I am familiar with"
At the conclusion of the morning
session Representative Frank R.
Reid, Republican. Illinois, asked that
Gen. Mitchell be recalled before the
committee and given a chance to an
swer the Secretary of War in pub
lie"
Representative Pran, Democrat,
New York, declared Gen. Mitchell
was in my Office this morning and
told me he didn't care to be heard by
the committee"
Vote on Question Is Tie.
"This is a bigger question than
Mitchelrs feelings on the matter"
replied Mr.. Reid. My constituents
are writing in and saying the COM
mittee ought to see that Gen. Mitch
Continued on Page 2, Column 81