Evening star., 1939-01-31
Senators Called
To White House
On Plane Sales
Edison Tells House
Unit Guam Fort Will
Aid Fleet Materially

BACKGROUND
Crash OF military bombing
plane being tested in California
last ,Deek disclosed that French
Observer had been passenger in
ship. Senate Military Affairs
Committee began inquiry into er-
tent OF cooperation being giUen
foreign governments, learned
that President Roosevelt had
urged that aid be oiDen French
mission here in search of ships.
President Roosevelt called the full
membership of the Senate Military
affairs Committee to the White
House shortly before lunch today
following brief consultation during
the morning with Chairman Shep-
pard.
The committee members spent an
hour and 10 minutes with the Presi-
dent and refused to comment as they
left the White House.
Presumably. the meeting was for
further discussion of the admins
trations position with regard to
Government cooperation with a
French air ministry mission in this
country in search of military planes
AS major part of the national
defense spotlight was focused on
the White House conference. the
House Naval Affairs Committee was
hearing from Assistant Secretary
of Navy Charles Edison that forti-
fication of Guam, tiny Pacific island
within 1,500 miles of Toxic, would
add materially to the defensive
power of the fleet" At the same
time, Mr.. Edison added that he
hoped forti1ication Of the island
would be unnecessary.
Mr. Edison testified before the
House Committee in response to BIZ
partisan demands for more COM
plete statements Of foreign policy
with regard to the project.
Seen Aid to Fleet.
Some members of the committee
had contended the proposal to spend
$4,000 900 for harbor dredging and
related development at Guam con-
stituted the first step toward ulti-
mate ablishment of major naval
base less than 1900 miles from
Toxic.
Presenting an official statement
of the Navy Department policy with
regard to Guam, Mr.. Edison said
the proposed development would
permit operation of planes, both
naval and commercial, that may be
in the Guam area in the future.
Facilities for the operation of
airplanes from Guam will add ma
terially to the defensive power of
the fleet" he added.
TT is impossible to look into the
future and see whether or not there
will be need for further develop
ment of Guam as an airplane base,
but we may hope that the future
internationa! situation will make it
unnecessary to use Guam except
as commercial airport
1T is the present policy of the
Navy Department now to ask for
development only to the extent
stated in the bill before this COM
mittee.
No Word on Farley.
"If unforeseen changes in the in
ternational situation should indi-
cate necessity for further develop
ment of an airplane base, then the
Congress will be so informed.
1--WE hope that there will be no
necessity for further Development
none is contemplated at the pres
ent time"
Although no specific word was
given out at the White House as to
the nature of Chairman Sheppard S
conference with Mr.. Roosevelt, it
was announced when the Texas
Senator left shortly before noon
that he had gone to the Capitol to
round up his committee colleagues
and bring them downtown before /
o'clock
Tells of German Progress.
With the defense issue occupying
considerable committee attention on
Capitol Hill the Senate Military
Affairs Committee yesterday heard
G.. Grant Mason of the Civil Aero
nautics Authority tell how German
military aviation research has sur
passed that of the United States
and that German and Italian trade
in aircraft with Latin America had
trebled in 1888.
Mr.. Mason also told the committee
Germany had developed a helicopter
which could arise and descend ver-
tically.
The craft is carried aloft, he said,
by several small propellers, instead
of one big one as in the case of the
auto-giro.