The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-09

I AtANHa A1e40S tAuCAk ACnGtsASAe on the question, but it iS not appar- ent in their speeches. No one has taken the trouble to look up the ex- isting laws, treaties, agreements regulations, and franchises now governing international air travel, to sec what the actual practices ot 1 that form of transportation now are, and what the United States govern. ment and It's licensed operators now etand committed to.
 The operating companies Of course know what this score is, and pre-. saimAbly the experts of the State Department and the Civil Aeronaut- les board, the Army md Navy know know something about 1t to, though there iS no cleAr-cut statement Of what U. 6, policy on this subject really it. Speeding up the determ. lnation Of what that policy should be- and decision Co prosecute that policy, are the two beneficial things that may spring from tho Wallace. Luce exchange of verbal bouquets. BASIS or SOVEREIGNTY
 Strange as 1t may seem, this con- troverSy goes right back to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. You may have tho idea that this doc- ument is now completely dead, but anyway, ono of the thousand.odd committees of experts which raSsled over the questions of that treaty took Q flying tackle At the problem of what to do about International air traffic, and they c0m0 up with 1 u treaty provision which some aero- nntics authorities today consider the one sound and workable proYi- sion of the whole document. BhSls of the Versailles worry was realization of the fact that the airplane was . potentially danger OuS weapon and that no nation could afford to have Q plane flying around over It's land unless tho govern ment In question know what was In that plano and where it was going, Mind you, this was before tho Atlantic had been flown, but the peace makers, however dumb they may have been In other respects, were at least smart enough to f0re- soO this development and they took steps to do something about it, dee fenaO-WiSe and trade-WlSe, aS q matter Of seif-protoction for every nation, large or small.
 Thus waG established tho prln. Clpio of sovereignty of tho Nir" which is tho foundation.--the land. Ing field from which any takeoH must Do made for Q flight of fancy discussion about freedom of the air"
 MUTUAL EXCHANGE
 As the world knows. every coun. try ratified tho VersAilloS treaty except tho United States. Not being m official party to tho provisions of that treaty, the United States was not bound by it but all D. S. air commerce laws, the air com m0rco laws of 1928 and oil laws since, including the Civil Aoronau- ticS Act Of 1928, have been built on that Versailles theory Of the right of every nation to sovereignty over It's own air.
 All nations, however, recognize tho mutual values to Do derived from exchange. That mak0s trade, which & simply the balancing Of one interest against another. For instance, Argentina, not having an aIrplane industry of it6 own, may grant to U. 6. planes the right to fly over Argentina.
 Argentina thus gets service and contact by air with other parts Of tho world, but having sovereignty over its own air, the Argentine gov Ornment retains the right to govern routes over which those planes may Ny, places they may land, and may police the personnel flying the planes, the passengers and cargo they carry, impogo whatever safety regulations it sees flt, RegardleSS Of nationality Of tho planes, oil air' craft arc thus subject to control by tho country of visit.