Evening star., 1925-02-08
Can Build Wall Around Coun.
try, He Tells House Air.
craft ProberS.
BATTLESHIP LATER MAY
BERESTRICTED, HE SAYS
Declares Army Violated Orders in
Bombing Tests in Reply
to Mitchell.

The airplane today can establish
wall Of defense $50 miles from the
shores of America and prevent at
tacks by battleships from any for
eign power; and as the range of
action of the planes increases to the
point where they can cross the ocean
and bomb enemy territory. "the tend
ency would be TO keep the battleship
fleet OFF, the ocean," Capt. A. w.
Johnson, assistant chief of the Bureau
OF Aeronautics. Navy Department,
said in reply to vigorous questioning
before the Lampert aircraft inquiry
committee yesterday afternoon.
Capt. Johnson appeared at his own
request to see that the Navy got a
square deal" in the present contro-
versy over united air force which
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell advo-
Gates. One of the main arguments
of Gen. Mitchell is that the airplanes
can protect the coast out to point
$50 miles and beyond that distance
the fleet must operate under water
and on the surface. Capt. johnson
said he also appeared to refute sew
eral statements made by Gen. Mitchell
in his recent printed articles regard
ing the 1921 bombing exercises.
witness Pinned Down.
The committee showed no mercy to
Capt. Johnson and he was pinned
down to every question when the
members thought he might not care
to give an answer. 1t took several
minutes of cross examination on the
part of Representative Perkins of
New Jersey, the committee examiner
to get Capt. Johnson to express his
belief in the perilous condition the
battleships would be in when. at
tacking an enemy, their own planes
were shot down by an armada from
a land base. Capt. Johnson said he
had been in aviation about two years
and a half, but said he testified as an
officer of the Navy, believing that
aviation is on a Co ordinate basis
with cruisers, submarines, destroyers
and battleships'
In pursuing his questioning on the
defense walls possible of stablish-
ment by airplane, Representative
Perkins asked Capt Johnson what
means of defense a battleship would
have IL 1t got within this limit and
had its aircraft shot down by an
overwhelming force of airplanes from
the land. Capt. Johnson replied he
would zig-zag and steam at full
speed and also use his anti aircraft
guns. Representative Perkins then
recalled previous testimony of the
utter contempt" held for the
"archies" by American airmen in
France, and Capt. Johnson agreed
that a very small percentage of
American planes had been lost
through anti-aircraft attacks.
While willing to agree that the
airplane occupies a formidable posi-
tion in defending the coast lines,
Capt. Johnson asked who is going
to protect our merchant ships, our
commerce. our citizens in foreign
lands and our possessions If we have
TO battleships"?
Sees Planes Importance.
representative Prall of New York
asked the witness IL he thought avia-
ton in the Navy was important
as any other branch, to which Capt
Johnson replied 1T soon will be-"
The officer declared that any attempt
to obstruct naval aviation in the
Navy would injure the national de-
fense. The airplane, he said, is the
best protection battleship can have.
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