Evening star., 1939-02-12
Policy Outline Shows
Efforts 10 Guard
Aircraft Secrets
Flights by Foreign
Agents Prohibited,
Summary Reveals
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
A revised official outline Of pol
icy" shows the War and Navy De-
partments have adopted extreme
measures to safeguard secrets of
military aircraft from foreign gov
ernments and spies.
Informed officials said one prac-
tical effect of the policy was to ban
the sale abroad of any planes the
Army uses for two years after this
country starts tests with an original
experimental model
Disclosure Of the policy-a IA
page summary of regulations issued
as guide to manufacturers-fo
cused attention on the contention of
some Senators that the administra-
ton permitted a radical departure
when it authorized q French air
official to participate in test OF a
new, experimental American war
plane.
1t was the presence of French
air ministry official aboard Doug
las attack bomber which crashed
January % at Los Angeles which
touched off a congressional row on
administration aid to France and
England.
Revised Six Mouths Ago.
The ofticia. policy statement
promulgated by Acting Secretary of
War Louis johnson. and Admiral
William D. Leahy, acting head Of
the Navy, and revised six months
ago, said fatty:
Pilot and passenger flights by
foreign representatives for demon
stration purposes in aircraft coming
within the scope of Paragraph
above shall not be permitted whether
or not such aircraft have been re-
leased for foreign sale
Further. it warned that foreign
inspection at aircraft plants manu-
featuring for the War or Navy De-
parEment will be permitted only
! when specifically authorized by the
! War or Navy Department and then
only under special circumstances y
The paragraph referred to said
the regulations governed:
l. Articles which. in whole or part
''have been or are being developed
or manufactured by or for" the War
or Navy Departments or with their
participation.
2. Articles being used by either
department or involved in procure
ment contracts.
Included, it was explained, were
aircraft, engines or parts the de-
velopment of which has been con-
tracted for by either of these de-
partments or which have been de-
veloped in accordance with Army
| or Navy specifications and submitted
to either department for evaluation
for procurement"
Requests Rejected.
The Douglas bomber was built as
an entry in an Army Air Corps COM
petition closing in mid March, to
meet Army specifications, but had
not been formally submitted.
Before the crash of the Douglas.
the War Department had rejected
requests for photographs or informa-
ton on other planes constructed for
the same competition
The statement of policy was in
tended for circulation only among
manufacturers who might seek Off
cial permits for foreign or domestic
sale OF aircraft. One copy, however,
came into possession of Senator Nve
Republican, of Indiana, critic of
President Roosevelt's foreign policy
who has started drafting legislation
to put the regulations into inflexible
statute.
At the outset of their official state
ment, Mr.. johnson and Admiral
Leahy said the policy was based on
the stringent provisions of the war
time ESPIONAGE Act.