Evening star., 1941-07-11
Asks Hearing Now On
Unified Air Force
Glider Association Head
Reviews History Of
Long Debote
Bu Charles T. Malone. .

By Charles T. Malone.
President American Glider Association.
The question of whether or not to
unity our air services, first seriously
raised in 1919, has reached its majority.
1t is old enough to vote, but 1t has not
yet been voted upon.
Following the return Of our boys from
the battlefields of the World War,
great discussion arose among our pilots
tached to the Army and to the Navy
as against the value Of combined air
service such as the Royal Air Force Of
England. 1t was argued that the COM
bination of the Royal Flying Corps and
the Royal Naval Air Service at the
height of the war saved England-and
that we should follow suit. Another
period concerned the future Of the air.
craft industry which had grown up
during the war and was abandoned
forthwith upon the cessation OF HOSTILE
ties. The English, 1t seems, had sub
sidized both manufacturers and air line
operators-and other European nations
were doing likewise. We, however, feel
ing that the growing industry could
take care OF itself, were content to let
things slide.
Bills were introduced in both the
United States Senate and the House
of Representatives which provided for
the unification of all Government air
services into one group-and also pro-
vided for Government encouragement
of the commercial manufacturers and
operators. Hearings were held on the
House bill by a subcommittee presided
over by Representative F. H. La Guardia,
acting chairman. Many prominent men
testified, and the weight of the evidence
indicated that the proposed legislation
should have been passed-but it wasn't!
The next really serious attempt to
obtain legislation unifying the air
services resulted in the appointment Of
q select committee of inquiry into
operations of the United States air
services by the Speaker of the House Of
Representatives. This committee, known
as the "Lampert" Committee, examined
more than $50 witnesses under oath, and
its work extended over a period Of II
months. terminating on December IA,
1925. The parade Of witnesses passing
before this committee was indeed an
aeronautical who's who. Here was pre-
sented evidence to prove that Gen. Will
liam Mitchelrs aeroplanes had succeeded
in sinking the German battleships IN
the 1921 tests, and evidence to prove
that the battleships would not have
been sunk if there had been f1re-power
aboard when the bombers flew overhead.
Gen. Mitchell testified several times. and
several admirals testified to opposing
facts. It was indeed battle OF the
giants.
Since the question OF a unified air
corps is becoming of increasing interest
to the public who, after all, must pay
the bill-it should prove interesting to
ascertain the results of the Lampert
Committee hearings. These are probably
best expressed ny Representative Reid OF
Illinois, q member of the committee and
the person chosen by Gen. Mitchell to
represent him when the general was
tried by court-martial for insubordlna-
ton, In his special concurring report,
which was painstakingly documented. A
few of the choicer paragraphs are quoted
herewith:
The testimony-Army, naval and
civilian-before the committee is unani-
nous In support of the indispensability'
of aircraft. both alone and in co-opera-
ton with the military forces, and the
bulk of it is clearly to the effect that
the potentialities of aircraft are
almost incalculable' and that our ma
tional defense must be supplemented, If
not dominated, by aeronautics.
Considering the probable increase in
the power of aircraft in future, this
opinion must outweigh certain testi-
mony placing aeronautics as mere 'ad-
junct' or an auxiliary to land and sea
operations"
The uncontroverted evidence pre-
sented in support OF this indispensability
and potentiality is 50 definite and over
whelming that one Is convinced that its
importance demands that, at least, air
power must have coordinate voice in
the councils of the Nation with sea
power and land power
With respect to the suggested unified
air service, Representative Reid had the
following to say:
Considerable divergence of opinion is
found among those who favored the
secretary for air controlling military,
naval and civil aeronautics (or the air
corps as an intermediate step and those
who were definitely against either but
favored maintaining aeronautics in the
Army and Navy under the present
system, or under the present system but
placed under one secretary for defense"
I'm addition to general objections to
the unified air service = specific OBJ
jections were registered.
LAS to the specific objections, it Is
believed that they represent merely un-
warranted anticipations of minor diff
culties.'
Congressman Reids keen analysis Of
the problems raised with respect to
unity of command" is represented IN
part by the following:
THE opponents of the unified air
service are Mortified at the idea of
trinity of command which the proposed
organization Creates and 1t is argued
that another unco-ordinated national
defense force in the field of battle would
be catastrophe, yet the cooperation
between the Army and Navy is claimed
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