The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-09-16

TlnlSheQ Allied alrplaneS, II
In the first place, the French and
British are paying for the planes
whether they are able to take de-
livery Of them or not; and in
the second place, 1t was Ameri-
can airplane manufacturers who
helped build up Hitler's present
gigantic airplane strength to the
point where the French and Bri-
fish must make feverish purchases
in the United States to Offset Ger
many. All Of which puts the air.
plane manufacturers in the neat
position of making money either
going or coming.
In fact, they are the one group
sure to profit from the new World
War. Profits first started just
about the time Adolf Hitler came
into power In Germany In 1888.
Up until then the German air
plane industry was almost nil.
Only commercial planes were being
manufactured and even these had
few new developments of motors
or wings. Came Hitler, however,
and suddenly Germany took a
prodigious interest in aviation, so
great an interest that 1t was plain
to anyone that their planes could
not be commercial. And at this
exact moment American companies
stepped into the picture.
MOTORS FOR GERMANY
Germany at that time needed
new and up-to-date motors, so she
purchased them from the Pratt g.
whitney company of Hartford,
Conn. These shipments increased
steadily so that by 1884, according
to q Senate committee which sub
sequently investigated munitions,
pratt and whitney shipped en-
gines to Germany In great quanti-
ties" 1884 was the second year
after Hitler came into power).
These shipments were made
when the State Department, in
1888 and 1884 was appealing to
American aviation manufactures
not to sell to Germany but to
assist the American government
in carrying out the terms of the
u. Sherman peace treaty. (Mr.
Hull reversed himself in 1885 and
has been permitting arms ship
ments ever since.)
The Pratt g. whitney motors
being sold to Germany had been
developed with the cooperation
of the United States Army and
Navy. In fact, the Senate NUM-
ti0ns Committee went so Tar as
to state in its official findings
that "the Army and Navy help
to design, develop, and to finance
the development Of Pratt and
Whitney engines which are sold
subsequently with substantially
profits for Pratt and Whitney"
SALE OF PATENTS
Despite this, the Pratt and
Whitney people eventually sold
their patents to the Bayarian Mo-
tor company giving that company
the right to manufacture in Ger
many on a royalty basis. But 1t
became embarrassing for the Nazis
to let the French know how rap
idly they were making planes,
SO the Bavarian Motor company
wrote to Pratt and Whitney that
they "did not want to reveal the
number of engines manufactured"
After that their royalty was
obligingIy changed by Pratt and
Whitney to $4,000 annually.
That the Pratt and Whitney
people were fully aware OF the
fact that they were re-arming
Germany, was indicated In .
letter written by its vice presi-
dent, C. w. Deeds, to the effect
that their lGermany's) situation
had changed and II Is obvious
that they desire engines for
military as well rs commercial
purposes"
The letter was written TO recon-.
mend q new Hornet motor 70 the
Nazls. This was just as Hitler
launched his tremendous rearm-
ament drive, and at a time when
Secretary Hull stlll was trying to
discourage arms shipments TO Ger
many.
IT 20 interesting 10 note that
Pratt and whitney was the one
firm 10 stand out against Sec
rotary HuIps move 70 dissuade
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