Evening star., 1925-12-06
High Commander of Fleet
EmphaticaIIy Answers
Colonel in Court.
DECLARES LANSDOWNE
APPROVED FATAL TRIP
Holds Flight Was Made for Train
ing Purposes and Was Not
Propaganda.

Assailed as "criminally negligent
and ''inCompetent' for having sent
the Shenandoah on her last flight.
the Navy Department yesterday
turned it's heavy artillery on its arch
accuser, Col. William Mitchell. in a
supreme effort to defend itself before
a jury of Army generals. and, Incl
dentally. the public.
The Navy's highest ranking officer.
Admiral Edward ". Eberle, chief Of
naval operations, took the stand at
the trial Of the fighting colonel of the
Army AIR Service and proceeded to
launch "a broadside of high.calibered
tstimony designed TO clear the atmos-
phere of the heavy-hanging Shenan-
doah charges.
To what extent il was successful
viii be determined by the Army Judges
who for seven weeks have been OBJ
serving the strange spectacle or
showdown btueen an aggressive air
officer of their own cloth on the one
hand and scintillating array of high
ranking officers both military estab-
lishments on the other.
Navy
The Navy will strike back again to
morrow, and then will give way to
concerted offensive by the Army
forces, aroused at the assaults made
on its traditionary bulwarks by this
same colonel. as result OF which
he has been Court-martialed.
Admiral Eberle. identifying himself
as the officer originally responsible for
,lxah N.4ly har
fatal fight to the Midwest, unfolded
to the Mitchell court the events which
led up TO the last flight of the big
dirigible and then. in effect, detied
Col Mitchell, his chief counsel, Rep
resentatiye Frank r. Reid, the court
or any one else TO find room for
criticism.
Despite the straight away defense
put out by the chief OF naval opera
tions. however. the Mitchell forces
accepted the challenge with such vigor
that a number of verbal tits resulted
between the witness and the Illinois
Representative.
Eberle Retort Sharp.
Pressed doggedly by the aggressive
House member. who sought to have
him testify that the Shenandoa com
mander had never said in writing
he was satisfied to make the Mid
west flight, Admiral Eberle burst out:
Il will answer as | want to. /
am under oath here
The story Of the Shenandoah flight
related by Admiral Eberle yesterday
was the same as that he gave 10
the Shenandoah court of inquiry. He
went over the sequence of confer
ences and orders which eliminated
in the final instructions to Corndr.
Zachary Lansdowne, and pointed out
again and again that not only was the
Shenandoah commander pleased"
with the arrangements for the trip.
but he was given entire discretion to
alter his course or turn back at any
time.
I'm a final conference with Comdr
Lansdowne' the witness told the
court, Il Impressed on him his dis
rr"tionary powers. told him he
could take the Southern or the
Northern route, could leave when nc
please and reminded him that i'll the
event of emergency he had several
places of refuge en- route. He said
he was looking forward TO the fight
with pleasure.
He was d good friend of mine.
had known him since he was an en-
sign. I was instrumental i'll having
him assigned to his command, al
though I realized he was rather
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