Evening star., 1940-05-30
u. 5. Priority
10 Planes Urged
By Williams
Ex-Speed Flyer
Charges Roosevelt
Aids Allies First

mdJ. al W. VlA4ld1iio dSoCi tCO 1doG
night that President Roosevelt
sought the hasty expansion of war
planes so that they might be
turned over to the Allies.
THE Allies don't want our Army
or Navy" Maj. Williams, former
Navy speed pilot and now a
columnist and reserve officer in the
Marine Corps, told more than 500
persons at the National Aviation
Forums annual dinner at the Will
lard Hotel. "They want our air.
planes. and they want those
planes right now. And Mr.. Roose-
velt wants to give them airplanes
right now without first providing
an American air force organization
for the permanent air defense of
America. The airplanes are for
Europe"
Asserting the war had proved the
. necessity in this country for an air
force separated from the Jealous
hands" of the Army and Navy, Maj.
Williams declared that never again
will seapower be used by sane COM
manders within the range of shore
based aircraft"
Claims U. S. Planes Inferior.
At this moment, he declared,
"there is not one squadron Of
American Army or Navy planes cap
able of meeting the performance of
British 'Spitfires' or the German
.Messerschmitts' and 'Heinkels.'
This state of affairs he ascribed to
''our politicians" who followed "the
death march of the British admirals
in preventing the full development
of real American airpower by oppos-
ing the creation of unified,
separate air force"
The flight schedules presented by
President Roosevelt in his recent
broadcast for an invasion of the
United States, Maj. Williams termed
''panicky," and ridiculous, worthy
of Hollywood and certainly not of
the White House"
With all its air might, he said,
Germany could not attack England
from air bases 300 to 500 miles away.
The United States, he added, is lin
no immediate danger of air inva-
sion" and we therefore, have time
time to provide a competent air
defense-but no more time for nom
sense and baseless panic-no more
time for shipping aircraft to the
Allies by men who are more inter-
ested in helping the Allies in
licking Germany than in saving the
United States"
Sees British Fleet Doomed.
He predicted that the British
would not surrender it's fleet; that it
would be bombed out of existence
in defending England or be scat
tered to the dominions.
Maj. Williams received a mixed
welcome, with boos and Kisses liber-
ally sprinkled, but applause was
louder. The audience of aviation
executives appeared more concerned
with getting on with their meal,
which was delayed while he broad
cast over Nation wide hookup.
Postmaster General Farley re-
ceived more applause after the meal
with his declaration that 1--WE can
avoid war and I am convinced we
will avoid entering the conflict"
Make no mistake" he cautioned,
1--WE must prepare on a scale that
up to recent weeks would have
seemed fantastic. American air.
planes have brought Europe within
less than a day from our shores. It
subtracts nothing from the honor of
American manufacturers, American
transport organizations and Ameri-
can flyers to remember that other
nations are also capable of building
magnificent ships and producing
daring and skillful pilots.
Sees Weakness Inviting Attack.
II am no alarmist. I do not be-
.1ieve the United States Is in immi-
: nent danger of invasion. I do not
look under the bed before retiring
F.; at night to discover lurking spies or
the camouflaged guards of a fifth
column You, too, are not afraid
But you are sane and sensible. You
know, as I know, that now more
than in a long period of history
national weakness invites attack
At yesterdays session Mayor La
Guardia of New York City called
upon Congress to confer what would
amount to virtually dictatorial pow
ers in order to speed up the defense
program
The President, he said, should
be given authority to declare a
production emergency" any time
he saw fit in the next three years
and the Secretary of War should be
given the authority ito expedite
the deliveries of the necessary
equipment heretofore authorized by
Congress, the provisions of any
existing law to the contrary not
withstandihg.
Would Preserve Democracy.
The speaker emphasized in con-
nection with the comforting of broad
powers on the President and Sec
retary of War that II don't want
to destroy democratic processes. u
However, he said, I'VE must take
into consideration the conditions
back of what caused the situation
that makes all of this necessary"
Mayor La Guardia advocated the
Transformation of automobile fac
tories into factories producing air.
plane engines to speed up the out
put of this arm in the defense pro-
gram. He said that new models In
passenger cars would have to be
r "cut out" in such a step.