Evening star., 1925-09-14
MOFFETT OPENS BITTER ATTACK
ON CHARGES OF COL. MITCHELL
Navy Air Chief, Avoiding Naming of Army Officer
Hits Back at ''Unscrupulous Self-Seekers" and
''Vultures'' for ssFalse Statements
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
With the broad question of the Ma.
tion's air defense organization to be
turned over to a special board of in
quiry, the specific charges made by
Col. William Mitchell, former assist.
ant Army Air Service chief, against
the Navy's air administration, have
drawn "A verbal broadside from Rear
Admiral William A Moffett, the Navy
air chief.
Replying categorically to the
charges of Col. Mitchell respecting
the Shenandoah and the flight OF the
PN-9 No. /, which he quoted without
mentioning the authors name. and
of other critics of the Navy air ad-
ministration, Rear Admiral Moffett
denied them with such emphatic char
acterizations as 'unqualifiedly false" "
absolutely false" "unscrupulous self
seekers" and "vultures"
The most charitable way to regard
these charges is that their author is
OF unsound mind and is suffering
from delusions of grandeur" Admiral
Moffett declared.
The Navy air chiefs statement fol
lowing on the heels of the action of
President Coolidge in turning over to
a special commission the broad ques-
tion of air defense policy, is taken to
indicate that the admiral regards
Col. Mitchell's specific charges a-a.nst
the Navy air administration as still
to be dealt with.
Commission Meets Thursday.
That these charges as well as , Sc
against the Army air administr 1 IN
will be considered as further ma 4 :
to be dealt with by the comm!. !
which will meet with the Pres \
at the White House next Thursda. ;
regarded by most officers as unlikely.
What course the administration does
purpose TO take with regard to them
may not be definitely diclosed, how
ever, before that time.
Asserting proponents of a unified
Air Service were using the "revolu'
tionary methods of the Communists" "
Admiral Moffett declared in his state
ment that charges from that quarter
have done more to retard aviation
and hamper national defense than
could have been accomplished by any
other means"
He warned that the example of
peal over the heads of Congress to the
people" might be the Opening wedge
for military dictatorship in the United
States"
Answers Mitchell Charge.
Taking cognizance also If the con-
tention of Col. Mitchell that the "di-
lapidated' condition of their racing
planes caused the death of two Army
H.. ~
last October, Admiral Moffett asserted
1t was the duty of "a high-ranking
Army aviator who was present" at the
racing meet to prevent use of the
planes If they were unfit.
Responsibility lies with this man
and he cannot evade 1t by trying to
shift the responsibility to the system, -
the admiral declared.
The immensity of the task confront
ing the Presidents aviation commits
sion in the short time permitted if 1t
is to have its report ready for Con-
gress in December, as desired by Mr..
Coolidge, is becoming more and more
realized. Technical studies, involving
past experiments in ship bombing and
anti-aircraft developments and prob
ably requiring numerous trips to
Army and Navy air centers. are seen
as presenting q heavy talk in gauging
the importance of aviation in war in
the next 10 or 20 years.
Col. Mitchell hopes that he will be
given an opportunity to appear per-
sonally before the commission and
present his views. Discussing the
forthcoming inquiry at his San
Antonio, Tex, post yesterday. the air
vfndicated in his charges by the
praci6anffc N ntvofi NO hn
commission and that he has "knowl-
edge of certain facts in which ! am
certain members of the aircraft board
will be interested
Text of Moffett Statement.
The text of Admiral Moffett's state
ment follows:
THE time of national bereavement
when the heart of an entire Nation
is heavy with grief over the loss of
II members of the crew of the
Shenandoah, and when hope of the
rescue Of the crew of the PN-9 had
about gone, was seized upon by the
proponents Of a separate air force as
a fitting time for the advancement of
their claims/by an attack upon the
agencies Of the Government charged
with the development of aviation.
Before the Shenandoah dead had
been buried, charges were broadcast
in the public press which, in their
falseness and vindictiveness, are al
most without precedent in the history
of this country. These charges.
couched often in the form of ques-
tions to protect the originators, are
so palpably false as to make one
wonder how they could have been
seriously considered.
in Vnnnent of preat
stress and intense emotion, they have
done incalculable harm to the Nationl.
1t is only now that their abSurdity is
beginning to be understood.
These false charges are made in
the guise of bringing about a reform
in our system of national defense and
of advancing aviation. AS a matter
Of fact, they have done more to re-
tard aviation and hamper national
defense than could have been accom-
plished by any other means.
Attacks "Vultures."
Destructive criticism has shaken
the confidence of the country in its
government. Examples of disloyal
conduct have sown the seeds of dis
cord in aviation establishments. False
charges have branded loyal servants
of the people with the stigma that
denial can hardly efface, The rev.
olutionary methods of the Commu-
nists have been invoked to overcome
the opposition of loyal men who have
sought to thwart the ambition of un-
scrupulous self-seekers.
''The ambitions of these selfish men
are as unbounded as their methods
are INSCRIPTIONS. Their tactics are
those Of the demagogue. They like
to pose as eagles soaring aloft with
keen eye for the country's defense.