Evening star., 1925-09-13
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


TT can be stated on high authority.
emanating from the departments
in question, that the Army and
i Navy are confident of blowing
Col. Mitchell out of the water
when they are investigated at his
instigation. Before that is done, the
colonel, in all probability. will have
paid the penalty for INSTRUMENTATION
under the Articles of War. With his
military escutcheon correspondingly
furnished. the War and Navy De-
partments plan TO deal dispassonately,
but thoroughly. with the grave
charges he has made against them.
Their responsible spokesman declare
they will refute the Mitchell charges,
lock, stock and barrel. Their expecta-
tion is to prove that the country has
been excited by allegations which can
not be substa initiate in any single vital
respect.
The Army in particular rs not going
to lie down under Col. Mitchells in
diCtment, nor content Itself with
mere rebuttal of his accuse tions. 1t
will take the offensive against him.
The War Depa rtment is prepared TO
show that as long as two years ago
II worked out the most exhaustive
possible orga MIA ton of the Air Serv-
ice. This is the so called 'LasSiter
Board Report" 1t derives that name
from the fact that Secretary Weeks
designated Maj. Gen. William Las
sitter of the general staff to head a
committee of seven distinguished
Army officers TO consider in all de-
tails a plan of war organization for
the Air Service"
Officers ON the Board.
The committee consisted. in addi-
tion TO Gen. Lassiter, of Brig Gen.
Briant IL. Wells, Brig. Gen. Hugh A.
Drum. Brig. Gen. Stuart HeintZelman,
Col. Irwin l.. Hunt, Lieut.. Col. John
w. Gulick and Lieut.. Col. Frank p.
Lahm (of the Air Service1. After a
thoroughgoipg inquiry, invading every
branch of aviation activity. the COM
mittee made recOmme nda tions. which.
had they been carried out would have
provided the United States Army with
as fine n air service as there is in
the world. But the Lassiter report call
ed for expenditure that fell afoul of the
Government economy program. even
though the board made this ominous
sta tement: Should a national emer-
gency confront this country within the
next few years. the Air Service would
not be able to play its part in meeting
it.
will make in this connection goes to
the root, of Mitchells charges The
Lassiter report disposes of the con-
tention that the Army has been guilty
of stupidity, criminal negligence"
and almost treasona BILE" conduct in
cir service matters. If there is any
foundation at all for such grave allie
cations, the public is likely to conclude
that Congress. rather than the Army
ie IafR
called for continuing annual appropri-
ations of S25.000,0 900 for an Army Air
Service. OF that sum 1000, 900 was
assigned to operating expenses, and
SIS, 900 900 for purchase of new air
craft. Last year the Army and Navy
between them received altogether only
$33, 500 900 for aviation.
A Ten-Year Program
The recommended Army scheme
was the last word in intricate detail.
1t comprehended a period of 10 years,
with adequate appropriations to make
the program effective. The program
was worked out to the last airplane
mechanic, and last ounce of gasoline.
No single contingency necessary to
create and maintain a war-effective
air service was omitted. A United
States Senator. conSpicuously identi-
fed with military affairs, informs this
writer that Col. Mitchell was loud
in his praise of the Lassiter board s
report.
The committee found that "our Air
Service is in a Tery unfortunate and
critical situation" 1t declared that
inca sures have not been taken in
our country to keep step with avia-
tion's increasingly important part in
military operations" Gen. Lassiter
and his colleagues found that "condi-
tions are critical in the Air Service
with respect to aircraft on hand. on
order, and prospective purchase from
funds now availa BILE. or that will be
available in the fiscal year 1924" The
committee discovered that the larger
nart of the aircraft now on hand is
War-prOduced and deteriOratin rapid
~. Furthermore. 80 per cent of these
airplaneS are of an obsolescent train
ing type. or unsuitable for combat
use" 1t was asserted that for lack of