New Britain herald., 1925-12-17
Rear Admiral Sims And Congressman Reid Singled Out For Special Attack By Major Gulion.
Accused Officer Declines to Present Arguments, Say ing to Proceed Further Is Useless.

Washington, Dec. II Rl-De. nouncing the methods employed in his prosecution before the general court martial convened to try him, Colonel William Mitchell today rest ed his case without replying to ( prosecution demand that he be dts missed from the army.
 Mitchell Makes Statement.
 Rising from his place before the bar when the court met to hear closing arguments. the air crusader | made brief statement, saying he had shown the truth on the public utterances which led to the discipli- nary charges against him, but had been answered by transformation and untruthful evidence on the com petence of which the court had re- fused to pass.
 ITO proceed further with the case would serve no useful purpose" he concluded. T have therefore directed my counsel to close entirely our part of the proceedings without argu- ment."
 The prosecution counsel at once offered to forego its closing argu- ments, likewise, but the court ruled that the regular order should be | followed and ordered Major Allen Gulion. the assistant judge advo- cate to present the closing plea of 1 the prosecution.
 Mitchells Statement.
 Colonel Mitchelrs statement to the court follows:
 My trial before this court-mar- tial is the elimination of the efforts of the general staff of the army and the general board of the navy 10 Qeprecatc the value of air power and keep it in an auxiliary position which absolutely compromises our whole system of national defense,
 These efforts 10 keep down our air power were begun as soon as the sound of the cannon had ceased on the western front in 1918. When w sank the battleships off the Virginia capes in 1921 and again in 1928 and proved to the world that air power mad rcvolutionized all schemes of na- tional defense. the efforts were doubled and have continued 10 this day.
 Statements Are Proved.
 "The truth of every statement which l have made has been proved by good and sufficient evidence be- fore this court. not by men who gain their knowledge of aviation by staying on the ground and having their statements prepared by numer- GUS staff to bolster up their prede- termined ideas but by actual fiiers who have gained their knowledge first hand in war and in peace.
 T wish to invite particular atten- ton the letter of former Secretary Weeks to the president of the United States. asking that l be not reap pointed as assistant chief of the air service on account Of evidence given by me to a congressional committee.
 T testified that the air service had only 19 modern airplanes fit for war and that all others were obso- lete and many dangerous, The evi- dcnce before this court bears out .hcse facts in their entirety. It has been shown that at present we have only one standard plane in the serv- ice.
 Untruthrully Informed. Secretary Weeks and, indirectly,
 =, Nl-rAnplN truthfully informed as to the con- diIon Of our aviation and our na- tonal defense by the persons fur nishing the data on which his letter was based.
 ? This court has refrained from ruling whether inc truth in this case ; constitutes an absolute defense or . not.
 . "To proceed further with the case
 would serve no useful purpose. z "I have therefore directed my ' counsel to entirely c,ose our part of 7 the proc eAiUgs without argument 7 Dismissal l. Asked Dismissal of Mitchell from the ! army was asked by prosecution F counsel in his opening arguments. x In asking thu maximum sentence n prescribed for offenses triahle under Y that article Of war, Major Allen
 Gmlon. assistant trial judge adyo-
 cate, declared Colonel Mitchell had
 hccn proven guilty Of disorder tu
 tho prejudice of good order and [ military discipline and Of conduct oi h a nature to bring discredit to the - military serviCe,'
 n Condemns Bittcrly - The prosecution counsel bitterly {. arraicncd the defendant and severe. a ly condemned many of the witnesses s who had testified in his behalf, sin - gling out, among others, Rear Ad Y miral William \. Sims, retired. Rep h r, sentative Frank E. Reid of Illinois IT chief defense counsel. also came II
 for repeated mention.
 we ask for dismissal of the ac
 cused," Major Gullion said, flor th, l- sake of the army whose discipline il he has endangered and whose fai is name he has attempted to discredit 'e We ask this dismissal for the sak " Of those young officers of the arm, F air service whose ideals he has shat t tered and whose loyalty he has COT le rupted. We ask his dismissal In th ts j nn.,a of fs,sfb ,an6pr whose nprie h