Evening star., 1925-02-07

Gen. Mitchell evidently was misled
regarding the examination of the con-
densers and did not have all the facts
at hand" Capt. Johnson declared
A lively discussion between Capt.
johnson and Representative Prall Of
New York over the location of the
targets. in 100 fathoms of water and
more than 50 miles from shore, fol-
lowed. Representative Prall recalled
Gen. Mitchelfs testimony how the
Navy tried to make 1t "as difficult as
possible for the Army" and Capt.
Johnson declared the location, which
all had agreed to, was the best be-
cause OF the problem of having a base
| for the Army planes and equipment"
In reply to questions regarding the
result Of the 1921 tests. Capt johnson
| said, I'VE were successful to a certain
degree" When asked by Representa-
tive Prall IL Gen. Mitchell had any
thing to do with not learning all
they should, Capt. Johnson said, "he
did not"
Says Army In Error.
Again turning to Gen. MitchelPs
| magazine article of January, "a, Capt.
Johnson endeavored to show the COM
mittee how the Army had violated
| the printed agreement. Capt. Johnson
quoted from the Mitchell article say
ing that Army planes carrying 300
pound bombs could have sunk the
/ cruiser Frankfort. IL the Navy had
not called 1t of. The general charged
/ that the board of inspection was slow
and that Capt. Lawson was running
out of fuel and had to return in Is
| minutes. When the planes did attack.
the bombs fell so fast that the Navy
could not stop them, although the
control ship signaled to do SO, Gen.
Mitchell said in the article.
To this, Capt. Johnson read radio
messages between Gen. Mitchell and
himself, and also read one from the
naval base at Hampton Roads which
said the Army planes had taken off
to attack the ships without orders
! from the base commander"
Capt. Johnson personally sent a
radio message to Capt Lawson, who
was in the air, and had complained
| that he must attack because he had
only 40 minutes of fuel. This mes
sage said that the observers were
going aboard, and the Army planes
! must withhold the attack until the
amount of damage previously done
had been ascertained, Capt. Johnson
! explained.
Perkins Cites Experience.
Representative Perkins OF New
Jersey, the committee examiner, de-
clared from his own experience IN
witnessing the bombing of the Iowa
off Panama two years ago that 1t was
a matter of great Importance for OBJ
servers to see the damage resulting
from a direct hit.
During the testimony of Capt. john
! son, Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Theodore Douglas Robinson, who was
present among the spectators, leaned
over and said something to Capt. john
son. Representative Reid of Illinois
challenged the right of Mr.. Robinson
to speak to the witness. Mr.. Robin
son asserted his right to do so and
then Representative Reid said, You
may get yourself into trouble
Possibly l have before, said Mr..
Robinson, But / haven't been here
long enough to get the Navy into
trouble"
You are making a good start" said
Representative Reid and then the
committee switched back to the ex-
animation OF Capt. Johnson.
Mitchell Answers Clear.
The committee heard Gen. Mitchell
and Capt johnson yesterday afternoon.
Gen. Mitchell in prepared statements
and in answers to questions touched on
virtually every phase of warfare, keep
ing the airplane, however. in the
foremost position. His answers were
fred back at the committee with
more rapidity than the questions put
to him and not once did he become
involved.
The afternoon session was opened
with discussion of the alleged In
ef7iciency of a large force of air.
craft during the closing days of the
war which permitted German planes
to attack the allied troops without
Intervention from the air. As the
committee exhibited no specific date
of the maneuver in question. Gen.
Mitchell was allowed to explain what
movement he though IL was. A letter
to Gen. Mitchell. when he was a
colonel and at the head Of the air
forces in France, congratNlating him
and his command for the splendid
services rendered, and signed by Gen.
Pershing, was read.
says Attack stopped.
Gen. Mitchell, in referring to this
maneuver. said he thought the date
was October II and was in the Ver-
dun area. Having received intelli-
gence from spies that a mass counter
attack was to be made on the left
fank of the American Army, with
out consulting Gen. Drum" he or
dered an attack on the troops 20 miles
beyond the German lines. One bomb
exploded on an ammunition train,
killed 500 troops and wounded 1000
Germans. The counterattack, he added.
was never made.
Dtsagreeing with Gen. Drum. who in
preceding Gen. Mitchell on the stand
lauded the work of snti-aircraft gums.
the latter declared one-tenth OF j per
cent of American planes were lost by
the bursting shells in the air from
ground batteries "Only one shot in
so, 900 can hit a plane" he declared.
and when asked by Representative
Perkins If he ever had been attacked
by anti-aircraft, Gen. Mitchell replied:.
1--WE been shot at by every anti-air-
craft gun in France-British Amer
ican. German, French and Italian.
He further declared he was willing
at any time to tow a target In an
airplane for aircraft batteries to
shoot at.
Discusses Navy's view.
Assuming the role of naval ex-
pert" because he declared other wit
nesses not connected with the Army
Air Service have talked about 1t at
length, Gen. Mitchell reviewed the
naval and submarine warfare of the
world war. No American battIeship
ever engaged in a battle during the
war. he said. A battleship, in the
final analysis, he continued, costs the
Government about 500, 100000, with
which amount 1000 airplanes could
be built.
NO one can ever attack America
unless they are in the air or on the
water" he said. Possibility of attack
by troops through Mexico or Latin
America, the general said, would have
to come from overseas, "and we can
protect the Caribbean sea and the
Panama Canal by air base on Porto