Imperial Valley press., 1934-03-10
DEATHS CAUSE
NEW MOVE IN
A|RMA|L ROW
President Orders Curtailment
OF Army Flying As Protective
Measure.
ELIMINATE SOME ROUTES
Casualties Since Starting To
Carry Mail Declared To Be
Too Great.

WASHINGTON, March l0. W.H
President Roosevelt today ordered
curtailment of army air mail SER
vice to avoid further excessive
loss of life among army flyers.
AS the presidential order was
being announced at the White
House, Col. Charles A. Lind
bergh was concluding an aviation
conference across the street with
Secretary of War George H. Dern.
The White House announcement
said "the President feels that the
loss of life has been far to great"
even though weather conditions
during the period of army air mail
service were unusually severe.
Ten army pilots have been killed
flying the mail Or in flying duty
connected with the air mail. Mr..
Roosevelt transferred the airmail
to the army Feb. 10 after summary
cancellation of private air mail
contracts on the ground that they
were tainted by fraud and collu-
sion.
Lindberghs conference with Dern
aviation, the secretary said after
the famous flyers mysterious ap-
pearance at the war department
had given rise to variety of
rumors, including the possibility
he might be named assistant Sec
retary of war Tor aeronautics.
Dern said neither cancellation
of commercial air mail contracts
nor possible restoration of the air
mail to commercial companies was
discussed.
Pose For Cameras
At the conclusion of the confer
ence, while scores of camera flash
lights were popping in the big
flag -draped conference room Of
the secretary of wars office, Dern
and Lindbergh posed for series
of pictures and Dern issued the
following statement:
II invited Colonel Lindbergh
down here to confer with me on
aviation matters in general. The
army, of course, is in aviation and
I recognize Colonel Lindbergh as
the foremost authority on aviation
in all its branches. I thought he
could give us some good advice.
"As far as carrying the mail is
concerned. we have nothing to do
with the air mail contracts. We
have nothing to do with matters
of policy. We merely carry the
mall"
Lindbergh smilingly declined to
issue any statement or to COM
ment on the conference.
you will have to excuse me
from making any statement at
this time" he said.
He said he had no definite plans
for the immediate future; did not
know whether he would call at
the White House and was uncertain
how long he would remain in
Washington.
Among those who conferred
with Lindbergh were Dern, Assist
ant Secretary of War Harry H.
Woodring and General Douglas
Macarthur, chief of state.
Following the conference Col
onel and Mrs. Lindbergh were
home in Chevy Chase. Other guests
were Assistant Secretary and Mrs
Woodring and General Macarthur.
One of the sensational develop
ments of the air mail controversy
was a White House rebuke given
Lindbergh when he protested
against contract cancellation. Step
hen Early, White House secretary,
complained Lindbergh had ignored
the proprieties in making his pro-
test public before it reached Mr..
Roosevelt to whom 1t was ad-
dressed.
Early also made today's announ-
cement that army air mail flying
would be curtailed. He said the
President acted today after con-
ferenceS with Gen. Douglas Nc
Arthur, chief of staff, and Maj.
Gen. Benjamin B. Foulois, chief
of the army air corps. Early's
statement rather placed on the
war department responsibility for
the surprising difficulties en-
countered by the air corps in at
tempting to fly the mails.
Details of the curtaiIment plan
were expected later today.
1t was emphasized at the White
House that Mr.. Roosevelt had been
assured the army could carry the
mail. Whether army pilots should
have been charged with such res
possibility is a subject of bitter
dispute today in the capital