Evening star., 1925-02-28
Ignored Department as Well
in Writing Magazine Arti-
Cles, Probers Hear.
SECRE TARY DENIES ARMY
OFFICERS WERE MUZZLED
Says General Was Told by Presi-
dent to Get 0. K. on Con-
troversial Issues.

ant chief of the Army Air Service
violated my instructions and those
of the President" when he printed
series of articles in the Saturday
Evening Post without submitting
them to his superior officer, Secre-
tary of War Weeks told the House
aircraft Investigating committee to-
day.
This statement by Mr.. Weeks was
made in connection with a discus
sion on ''muzziing' of Army officers
who appeared before the committee
He emphaticallly declared there is
absolutely no basis for any such
charge" that officers are "muzzled7
in giving testimony. IF there is any
officer in the Air Service or Army
who thinks he has been muzzled. he
must be timid soul" Secretary of
War Weeks said
Called on President
after the first bombing" said Sec
retary Weeks. "a good deal of contro-
versy developed in both the War and
Navy departments. Gen. Mitchell
made many statements relating to it
which We're at least controversial and
the Secretary of the Navy told me the
conclusion 1t would be unwise to let
this controversial subject go on in
definitely and l asked Gen. Mitchell
TO submit any public writings TO me
Hrst. He followed my instructions
for two years. but last Fall the Sat
urday Evening Post asked him TO
write some articles. Having in mind
my instructions he went to the
White House with the editor and the
Z Dr.
pared copy said he would have no
objections if submitted to his superior
officer. To make clear his point the
; President wrote Gen. Mitchell to that
effect. Gen. Mitchell then printed the
stories without submitting them TO
any one.
representative O'Sullivan Of Con
necticut, asked the Secretary if that
was not "muzzling"
Not at ALL" replied the Secretary.
Even if it were of controversial ma
ture it might have been printed en-
tirely if ii had been submitted"
ReappOIntment Up to Coolidge.
The question of reappointment OF
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell. assist
ant air chief of the Army. is in the
| hands of President Coolidge, Secre-
tary of War Weeks told the House
aircraft investigating committee to-
day, and added lit would be distinctly
inappropriate for me to say anything
about ii until l have talked with the
President, which l have not done"
The Secretary was asked by Repre-
sentative O'SullVian, Democrat of
Connecticut, if he would care to dis
cuss the reappointment of Gen. Mitch
ell. and the Secretary beyond the
foregoing statement said nothing
more.
ID L.
asked the Secretary if General Order
No. %, calling on officers to follow
1 the regular military channels for any
requests, was still in effect. The Sec
retary said 1T had not been rescinded.''
Tells of Mitchell Plea.
Did Gen. Mitchell visit you in Au-
! gust, 1924. after his Asiatic trip. with
the request for permission to deliver
| lectures on what he saw" asked Rep
resentative Prall.
He did come to me-" replied Sec
retary Weeks, and after lengthy
! talk l asked him to put his findings
/ into writing, as it, no doubt, would
| be a valuable document"
| Here Secretary Weeks explained
! that the report. which Gen. Mitchell
! had testified was ignored by the War
Department, reached him ! hour and
made that statement early this
month. a further discussion of this
| report was given the committee in
| a letter by Secretary Weeks made
| public last night
Did you tell Gen. Mitchell that If
| if he persisted in discussing this re-
port in public that you would call
on him to resign asked Representa-
| tive Prall.
! Il did not" declared Secretary
| Weeks. 81 have no power to ask him
| or any other officer to resign. The
| last time Gen. Mitchell was in my
| Office was in September" The Secre-
| tary then requested permission to
read an editorial from a newspaper
! which he declared Expresses my
| views" and closed with these words:
! TOO many officers today seem in
need of a little friendly editing"
disappointment Passed Over.
The foregoing mention of Gen.
Mitchell was the closest the Secretary
/ approached the reported reprimand-
! ing of the assistant air chief. No
member of the committee asked the
/ Secretary what his views on the re
appointment of Gen. Mitchell were
| Later in his testimony Secretary
| Weeks referred to Gen. Mitchell as
! being very familiar, perhaps more
/ than any other one officer in the de-
| partment with the conditions of air
| power abroad. He was sent abroad
| because he was supposed to be COM
petent," and "as long as we have an
! officer of his experience in the War
Department, if we don't send the
chief, we will send his assistant"
Discusses Air Expenditures.
Representative Prall, who questioned
Navy representatives closely on the
financial support given naval aviation
several days ago, went into lengthy
discussion of figures with Secretary
Weeks on the matter of Army Air Serv-
ice appropriations and how the Air Serv-
ice was reduced in the desired amount
of money. Secretary Weeks read the
estimates, the budget limit and the final
budget estimate. ali of which showed, in
Representative Pralls opinion, that 10
per cent of the total War Department
budget asked for, more than one-third Of
the Air Service estimate, was reduced in
order to keep the War Department with
in the limit of the budget figures. Sec
| CONTINUED on Page 2, Column p