Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-30
BEHIND
THE NEWS
BY Paul.
Mallon

COilltltiNt dl 1illAdsp was ilON
as black and bury as il APP
peared in print.
AS il stood out in type, first
they had a good agreement,
then they did not have it. Once
State Assistant Secre tary
Adolph Berle was hailed as
having won a great victory for
something called freedom of
air" only to find himself few
days later buried under some
tons of bristling words as hav-
ing lost his cause.
The British initially were
nice co-operators because Rus
STA had refused to enter the
hall (after having chosen and
actually sent delegates to Chi
cago) But before the end, the
British were accused of having
caused the disagreement on ma
ior points by her frmness Of
attitude. Etc, etc, etc,
VET the simple causes be-
hind the whole bargaining
miX-up can be described simply
as these:
Today this country has so
per cent of the world air bust
ness. The British want some OF
it, in fact, they seem to want
exactly half of il. Secretly they
have prepared four or five very
large transport planes.
These are yet in an expert
mental stage. but big things are
expected of them in the way of
improving paying loads and
otherwise making British avia-
ton commercially equal with US.
The straight question at Chi
cago was not any of those you
heard from the lips of the par
Elephants but just this one:
How are. you going to get an
agreement for division of world
air commerce between Britain
and the United States?
The answer was also supplied
there in the practically mega
tive results.
To devlve deeper into the
forces at play backstage, Amer
lean AirlineS was rather
strongly behind the Berle posi-
ton for freedom of air, while
Pan American was against it.
American Airlines has pending
before the government an APP
plication whereby it may get
into the foreign field against
Pan Am, through American eX-
port lines (decision is still be-
ing held up.
A MEXICAN y ambition Is 10
"A become the central feeder
from all sections of this country
for tranSoceanic traffic, and
anything which will upset Pan
Ans exclusive hold on our for
eign business is agreeable TO
her.
On the other side Of the ques-
ton, Pan Am says il will throw
its holdings into a pot with the
other American air companies,
railroads and steamship lines 10
form one big monopoly for post
war.
1t does not want to hand over
half its business 10 the British,
and therefore would strongly
oppose the British proposal at
Chicago whereby quotas would
be established for each country
by an international air board TO
split up future air traffic.
To them il sounds like suicide
for us TO sit down now on the
commercial air system we have
built up through government
subsidies and long experience,
and wait for the British to
catch up with us.
Formerly we needed routes.
Before the war, the British had
them. while we had the planes
and efficiency. The British con-
trolled three continents, Europe,
Africa and Asia. The war
opened all three to us. Bases
are no longer so important
TO us.
EREEDOM of air would not
Il bring us so much now as
formerly. Pan Am. for instance,
can start round-the-world
service as soon as agreements
can be reacted with three more
countries, and even this may
not be necessary if Gibraltar is
neutralized and our planes per-
mitted to fly through the strait.
Great principles were dis
cussed at Chicago, but these
mentioned business factors were
behind the conclusions, which,
AS this is written, seemed likely
10 provide some sort of world
safety regulations, and little
else, unless some high sounding
words TO cover the underlying
contest.
Great world principles got
lost early in the game when
Russia withdrew, indicating she
is not yet ready for air free
dom. Her air always has been
the most exclusive in the world.
Furthermore, the fact remains
from the conference that we can
outmatch the British no matter
how we decide 10 arrange our
own air commerce. We, too.