Evening star., 1925-12-03
REPORT |SPARTLY
MITCHELL VICTORY
Recommends Much He Has
Asked for Air Service. But
in Different Terms.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

! Col William Mitchell has won a
moral victory. Though the Aircraft
| Board, which has just made its report
! to President Coolidge, does not accept
I specifically the Mitchell recommends l.
| tions, II acComplishes exactly what the
| veteran flyer had in mind when he
started the agitation-it does more for
! aviation than has ever been done
| before.
Critics will arise inside and outside
| the Air Service of the Army and
Navy to find flaws in the report. but
| 1t is admitted today that Dwight +.
Morrow, chairman of the board. who
wrote most of the report, did a splendid
! job in temperate writing and careful
analysis and that the document will
| influence Congress a good deal. MIR.
! Coolidge wanted something on which
to base a policy. The Morrow report
| gives him just that.
Really Meets Demand.
While Col Mitchell wanted a sepa-
rate air force under a department of
national defense, the Morrow board
really gives him what amounts to the
same thing in the special appointment
Of assistant secretaries of aviation in
hree departments-Comm Navy
and War The objections to depart
from viewpoints entirely unrelated 10
The aviation controversy. Mr. Coolidge
found. as did Mr.. Harding. that
single department would not take care
Of the two schools of service and that
It would only place the responsibility
for deciding controversies on one man
1t might relieve the President some
what. but on the other hand it would
increase the difficulties Of the man in
| h 1f 81,
situation in nutshell.
The Morrow report recognizes the
difficulties of the men in the Air
Service with respect to pay and pro
motion and representation on the
general staff. sees the importance of
stimulating the aircraft industry. and
| generally SAYS more for the cause
of aviation in ,arefulrr lalancrd
statement than the partisan have
! been able to get across in many
| months " argument.
Would Form On. Board.
Already there are predictions that
/ three assistant 80, taTiCS of aViatiCn
will only add Ia rh, red APE and con.
/ fusion But while the Morrow report
dOeSn say So i'm aS many words
everybody knows that ,he next stem
would hc th" formation of triple
alliance between tho three secretaries,
who would function as board. sub
ject only to the technical Jurisdiction
of their superiors. but in reality deal
with the President in the last analysis
Thus an Assistant Secretary of the
treasury. Lincoln &. Andrews is un-
! der Secretary Mellon. but report IS
/ more or less directly to the President
Government has gotten to he such
! big institution ever since the war that
an assistant secretary is no longer n
mere subordinate in the sense that
! the term might literally apply.
Sounds Note of Moderation.
SO far as aircraft production is con-
cerned, the Government is ready 10
appropriate funds sufficient to take
care OF existing plant facilities and
even will go beyond that. But a s for
subsidiZng industry and beginning on
large scale to build aircraft for
imaginary conflicts. the board sounds
the very note of moderation which
President Coolidge himself has uttered
in his preachment about Army and
Navy economy in peace time
From Col. Mitchell's viewpoint, there
may be much 10 criticize in the Nor.
row report. lie probably will dis
sect it and say that $4,000 airplanes in
the first year of an emergency is too
optimistic an estimate judging by the
delays experienced in the World War
But Congress is the court of last re-
sort anyhow and the committees will
begin where the Morrow board left off.
The Mitchell adherents have forced
the issue TO the front and when il
comes TO enactins into law the recon-
mendations of the horrow board there
will be many changes based upon the
ideas of members of Congress them
serves who have their own opinions
on how best TO secure administrative
efficiency for any branch of military
activity.
CopyrIght. 1881