Evening star., 1943-04-29
Kaiser Will Build
HeIieopters for Use
In Drive on Subs
Contract Is Awarded
By Leose-Lend Official
On British Demand
BY BLAIR MOODY.

ny DLa1h MoODI l..
Henry J. Kaiser, Pacific Coast
shipbuilder, is going to build
helicoptors. the "airplane that
can stand still or fly backward"
as a weapon to protect our war
conveys against the Nazi subma-
rine menace.
While the Army termed the craft
"still experimental" and the Navy S
position remained confusing, Mr.
Kaiser today walked off with con-
tract to develop and build them for
the Lease-Lend Administration in
response to British demand.
The contract was announced by
r. w. Seabury, president of Car
goes, Inc, a Government corpora
ton subsidiary to Edward r. Stet-
tinius, jr.s Lease-Lend Administra-
ton. Mr.. Kaiser will build two
helicopters at once and go into COM
bat production as rapidly as pos
sible, Mr.. Seabury said.
U-Boats Gather in Strip"
One reason for the huge and dis
couraging submarine losses in re-
cent weeks has been that the u
boats have gathered in a mid
Atlantic strip" about 500 miles
wide which cannot be covered by
land-baSed air power.
The helicopter, to be based on
cargo ships themselves, is one of two
or three major "offensive-d defensive
devices on which the Navy counts to
overcome Hitler's No. threat to the
United Nations war plans. Under
secretary of the Navy James V.
Forrestal, testifying before the Sen
ate Investigating Committee yester-
day, declared that he hoped we
could overcome the U-boat problem
before the end of 1943 by q tre-
mendously-increased fleet of escort
vessels land air"
Capt. Leland P. Lovette, chief
Navy public relations officer, recent
ly revealed that the Navy hopes that
the "ship-based aircraft or helicop-
ter E. will be the secret of success
in the fight against the submarine. ;"
Declaring that 400 to 500 subma-
rines are operating in the Atlantic.
Capt. LoVette revealed that I'VE
must convoy a minimum of 700 to
300 ships across each month If Brit
ain is to live and fight efficiently"
Undercover Dispute Out in Open.
Mr.. Kaiser's appearance in the
helicopter picture brings into the
open and undercover dispute of
standing between impor-
tant Army and Navy officials over
how valuable the helicopter is as an
anti-sub weapon, who should manu-
facture it, and whether progress has
been sufficiently rapid.
Certain Army air officers stationed
at Wright Field urged use of hell
copters on the Navy for months,
with little apparent response. Mean
while, an experimental model was
built for the Army at the Vought-
Aircraft Co., subsidiary
of the powerful United Aircraft
Corp. Mr.. Seabury declares, however,
that the Army has only one" of the
craft and the navy but a handful.
Capt. Lovette's New York speech
indicated the Navy had gone over
board on the helicopter as an anti
sub weapon.
A Navy report of April Ii, how
ever, Informed Mr.. Seabury that if
Mr.. Kaiser were asked to manufac-
ture helicopters, at least some high
Navy officials would consider this as
hampering the war effort.
The Army Corps is the purchasing
agent for helicopters Mr.. Seabury
contacted Robert A Lovett, Under
secretary of War for Air, to determine
the Army's attitude on the Kaiser
and was referred to Eugene
E. Wilson. president of United Air
craft Corp.
Decides to Go Ahead.
In response to a wire from Mr..
Seabury, Mr.. Wilson telegraphed
April 9 that ANY such arrangement
as you outline would definitely inter-
fere with our Army program"
After conversations with Under
secretary Lovett, Mr. Seabury de-
clded to go ahead anyway.
Nobody has explained to me how
1t would interfere" the lease-lend
official said. 1T appears to me that
on new developments we are always
20 minutes late. We develop them
but officials remain lukewarm until
some foreign nation shows us how
the new weapon can be made useful
This helicopter thing has been
around here since last
August. They've been plenty slow.
The British want some, so I'm going
ahead and order them"
Undersecretary Lovett said that
Mr.. Seabury called him and that
he told him to get in touch with
United Aircraft because that COM
pany is supervising development of
the helicopter for the Army.
Equipment Highly Specialized.
Il presume Mr.. Wilson replied
that Mr.. kalSers entry would inter-
fere because he hasn't any engineers
to spare to show any other company
how to build helicopters, Under
secretary Lovett said. This is a
highly specialized piece of equip
ment, developed in only one place
and still in the experimental stage"
Mr.. Seabury denied that the
LeaSe-Lend contract would require
the transfer of engineers from
United Aircraft
Mr.. Kaiser has plenty of engi-
neering to do this job" Mr.. Seabury
said. He can do it in Fleetwings.
Inc, Brewster Aeronautical Corp, at
the Franklin Institute in Phila-
or in one of his coast
plants
Then what do you want from