Evening star., 1925-02-17
NATIONAL DEFENSE
MADE SECONDARY,
MITCHELL THINKS
Holds Security Put Below
Pride of Service Arms by
General Staff.
DEPL0RES IGNORANCE
ON PRACTICAL AVIATION
General Says Ground Officers Do
Not Know One Airplane Type
From Another.

threats from his superior officers,
Brig. Gen. William E. Mitchell, as
sistant chief Of the Army Air Service,
appeared today before the House
military affairs committee, which is
considering the Curry bill, and de-
clared that the present policy of the
War Department places the defense
of the country Secondary" 1t is the
object Of the department, he declared.
to prevent any one arm from stand
Ing out in Importance.
He declared there is no one on the
general staff who knows the possi-
bilities of aviation, and compared
War Department spokesmen on the
subject to 'closet naturalists'' who
can give beautiful description of
birds, but when taken in the forest
could not tell one from another.
Do Not Know Planes.
ANY ground officer taken to an air.
drome could not distinguish the type of
airplanes, the characteristics of the mo-
tors or the manner of flights" Gen
Mitchell declared.
Col. Theodore Roosevelt, former As
| sistant Secretary of the Navy, appeared
before the committee at the beginning
of the session and declared himself un-
Qualifiedly opposed to a united air force
He later appeared before the Lampert
aircraft investigating committee and
spoke along similar lines.
The afrplane as a means of coast de-
fense is of paramount" interest, Gen
Mitchell declared, and 1t shares with
the submarine in the narrow seas. "Sea
power, based on battleships alone, ceases
to exist" he declared.
Urges Deep Study.
I'VE air people believe" continued
the general. that the Army and Navy
are no longer capable of visualizing
the best method for national defense.
Those aviators who know the subject
OF aircraft as a military factor of
prime Importance, who appeared be-
fore Congress despite restrictions,
| find that their views are at great
variance with those presented the
members of Congress by others"
He urged that a comprehensive
| study be made by Congress into the
| question of national defense
Taking up the subject of bombing,
Gen. Mitchell said 90 tons of gas
could destroy life In any given area
and that one group of aircraft carry
| Ing these gas bombs could put New
York OUT in a day He said bombs
with fuses that will go OFF "a hours
after they are dropped are in exist
ence. In referring to the possibiI-
| tiles OF dfrigibles acting as mother
ships for airplanes. a subject which
he has discussed before, Gen. Mitchell
said the two airships at Lakehurst
are only toys"
Testimony of Roosevelt.
Gen. Mitchell was asked about tbe
! cooperation which Col. Roosevelt
mad cited between the Army and
| Navy Air Services. Col. Roosevelt as
| an example. told how the Navy gave
| the Army one of its newest racing
| planes to be flown by an Army pilot
| In the Pulitzer cup races That is
pad proposition. 1t is bad busi-
! ness. I'd rather not go into that"
replied Gen. Mitchell Speaking as
civilian. interested in aviation for 30
years, Col. Roosevelt declared in his
| testimony that 1t would be great
| mistake from the aspect of national
| defense to unity the Air Services
| ne SAID the economy resulting from
uHhnca1on as many have claimed
| would be wasted when the question
or defense came to the fore.
Ihe Air Service is an AUXILIARY
oranch OF the Army and Navy and Il
can't conceive of any war being
Fought and restricted in the air" said
the witness. The training Is differ
ent In the Army and Nayy he con-
| tinued. and explained that a naval
| pilot observing for his fleet wouId
| have to know just what Significance
10 attach to certain positions and
movements of enemy fleets. This in
formation. said Col. Roosevelt would
be taken by the admiral in command
and all orders would be based on thar
Information. Chairman Mckenzie in
terrupted to ask why could not a
regular naval officer, skilled in naval
| tactics, be carried as an observer In
which event would 1t be essential for
the pilot to have special naval train
ing?
| 1T would not be essential. but de-
sirable,' Col. Roosevelt replied.
| Difference in Purpo,e.
| Col. Roosevelt cited the difference
| In construction and purpose between
Army and Navy aircraft and dis
agreed with the statement previously
given by Col. p. Henderson. In charge
of air mail of the Post Office Depart
ment, that mail air pilots are 80 per
cent prepared for war.
! Don't let us get torn away from
our mooring with undue enthusiasm
about the air services" declared Col.
| Roosevelt to the committee. DO not
let us regard possibilities and proba-
biiities as facts The defense Of the
country depends primarily on the
Army and Navy. / do believe, how
ever, that the Air Service Is of vital
Importance to the defense of the
! country and that Congress, when IL
| feels the Nation can afford IT. should
increase its appropriation for aero
nautics at the first opportunity"
He urged the passage of the Wins
low -Wadsworth bill providing for a
bureau of civil aeronautics and hoped
| that the air mall service would con-
| tinue. Money spent on Army and
| Navy aviation today does more than
| benefit the two services. said Col
Roosevelt, because 1t helps advance
commercial aviation.
Jealousy in Navy.
| Representative Hull of Iowa said
he believed there was more jealousy
! in the Navy over aeronautics and he
doubted II the airplane was getting
/ a square DEAL" Col. Roosevelt re-
piled that he did not think that was
| the case. explaining that in time Of
war an admiral in command Is going
to use everything at his disposal to
| achieve victory.
The Lampert investigating COM
| CONTINUED on Page 3, Column 50