The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-03-11
Bureaucrats Slayers,
Mitchell Charges
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lit. the air service would have to
be taken away from the Army and
put in a separate corps.
On my appearance before the
| HoIise Military Committee, / had
given further information along
/ these lines, which proved c0nclp
| sively that as long as the Army
or Navy, with their retrogressivt
methods, had anything to do with
aviation, the money turned over for
ifta maintenance and development
Would be largely thrown away.
Army Has Organized Publicity
To counterfeit this, the War De.
partment turned out its beyy al
| professional testimony givers, arm
ed with lengthy documents pre-
pared by welI-trained clerks In the
War Department, telling how the
air forces should be handled. The
Notifying assistant chiefs OF staff 81
various kinds went up and did their
parrot.like stunt before the House
Military Committee. This time, how
ever. the House Military Committee
knew more about aviation than they
did. and raked them over the Goals
pretty severely. The idea OF allowing
these men, who had never even
been in an airplane, and who were
completely prejudiced against the
DEVELOPMENT of air power, the en-.
tire direction Of our air policy. 3
at once dangerous and absurd.
Seeing the sand on which their
arguments were built slipping from
under their feet, the general staff,
through its propaganda agency.
called G-a, sent instructions out to
all its posts and stations to keep
down the air srevice. to give out
Information as to its feebleness and
Impotency in war, and strain every
nerve to retain las part Of the
Army, where it could be intimi.
dated, muzzled and stunted.
No Air Service Publicity
Each branch Of the Army infan-
try, cavalry. field artillery-has its
own means OF disseminating infor-
nation about its aims and activities.
This is done. in the case OF the in
fantry, through the medium of the
Infantry Association: in the cavalry.
through the Cavalry Association,
and the other branches employ sim
liar channels The air service,
however, being beyond the pale Of
War Department sympathy or even
Intelligent cornprehension except
in SO far a. they are interested in
keeping 1t doWn-has no such as.
sOciation as d semi official append
age, and consequently the only way
of getting information out is
through the officers themselves.
The Navy, on its side, has been
even more successful IN the intimi.
dalton and mental subjugation Of
air officers In its service, SO that
they cannot cali their souls their
own; while politicians, holding false
ratings as pilots, at the head of
Naval aviation, urge upon Con-
gress the appropriation Of large
sums, ostensibly for aviation, hut
really to bolster up the diminishing
prestige of the Navy. resulting
from its shameful conduct and adj
ADMINISTRATION Of aviation.
Continued To Tel Truth
Progressive thought on aeronau-
tics in. the Navy having been put
in irons and safely slowed away.
everyone who ventured to think
for himself either removed from
any possible sphere Of influence,
or forced to become q plain YES"
man, everything seemed safe for
the bureaucrats in that depart
ever: a leaVening influence still
existed of number of patriotic
officers of long standing who be-
-
defend the country against all
enemies, both foreign and domestic, :"
held equally true against the In
sidious enemy working within the
armed services who threatened to
deprive this country of what It
needed to defend itself.
These officers continued to tell
the truth about the air service
The War Department, TO stop this.
instituted a regular espionage sys
tenn inside the air offices In Wash
ington--the same ''old sleuth"
methods were used that were EN-.
ployed by the Secret Service dur
ing the war.
Signal For Agitation
A short letter, drawn up in the
air office. expoundIng the views
which the chief Of the air service
had himself expressed before the
House Military Committee, was
sent out to various people-mem-
bers of Congress and others-point-
ing out that support was necessary
TO obtain any constructive legisIa-
ton in behalf of the air service
during the present session of Con-
gress. The paper was innocent
enough in itself and perfectly in
accord with what all other branches
OF the service do officially, with
the sanction Of the War Depart
ment; but when the least peep is
heard out of the air service it is a
signal for much agitation and
quick application of the gag, so
that no single flying officer know
ing aviation and its needs will be
able to. give any evidence to Con-
gressional committees not dictated
by the bureaucracy.
A rule Of the War Department is
that personal influenoszshall not be
used to further legislation and that
If such a thing is done, this fact
shall be noted on the record of any
officer responsible for it. This rule
does not prevent the Army and
Navy from keeping a permanent
lobby constantly on hand to i'm.
perfume the military committees Of
both the House and Senate.
Spread Counter Propaganda
Officers who are assigned TO that
duty by the bureaucracies make At
their business not only to guide leg
islation in the way they desire it,
kNauk nj