Evening star., 1948-08-22
Guided Missile
To Fly A-Bonnb
5000 Miles
Spootz' Lost Report
Describes Weapon
Planned by Air Force
By John A. Gi&

Aii rOlSC StlCliGlStS dl WOl
ing on supersonic guided mis-
sile capable of carrying an
atomic war head 5000 miles.
This was revealed by Gen. Car
Spaatz, retired Air Force chief OF
staff, in his final report which was
made public yesterday.
The missile would be launched
from the surface of the earth, not
from a plane. Gen. Spaatz said OF
it.
Since there is no existing de.
fense against this type of weapon
it Is essential that the United States
be the first nation to develop it,"
The report, which reviewed &C.
complishments of the Air Force
over the last two years. spoke ol
the urgency of solutions of the Ma.
tions defense problems. 1t was
the first report to be published since
Congress made the air arm equa
with the Army and Navy. Gen
Spaatz retired as chief of staff last
April 80.
In his report he predicted the
Arctic region will replace Gibraltar
and the Panama Canal in strategic
Importance in the air age of the
| future.
He also intimated that Congress
may be asked to increase the size
of the air arm beyond the 10 groups
urged last spring in the midst OF
much controversy within the de-
fense establishment and on Capitol
Hill.
The troubled tenor of world af-
fairs and new operational tech
niques being developed may cause
the aircraft figures to be revised
upward he stated.
Gen. SpaatZ, described as fore
most air strategist." in a foreWard
to the report by Air Force Secretary
Symington. also said that assault
transports might replace the COM
bat glider. The Northrop C-125
Pioneer a three-engine transport
is being studied for that purpose.
Sees 75-Mile Control of Drones.
He also indicated that another
Northrop plane, a. Empowered fly
ing wing bomber, was being consid-
cred for use as .. reconnaissance
plane. .s'7 s ss..t
Control of drones or crewless air
craft from a distance of IS to 100
miles is believed possible, although
thus far the limit has been Is miles
the general said. -
Until aircraft ranges and speeds
increase greatly. the general con-
tinued, planes taking of from one
land mass to attack targets located
on the other will fly to them directly
from their bases and return by the
shortest route. In every case sucf
direct fight would carry the at.
tacker across the Arctic or sub.
Arctic area.
Clearly the whole cap of the
world, from the 30th parellel to the
North Pole, is the world of all
power for although the polal
ice cap Is impossible to ships anc
surface forces. it offers no barrier
TO aircraft flying over it, he de.
Clared.
Shortest Routes Over Pole.
He pointed out that the shortes
air route between the Central Unitet
States and the Urals. between Alasks
and Germany. or between Greenland
and Japan was directly over tn,
polar region.
Before the age of air power th'
defense of a strategic area wa
usually a matter of placing heav.
guns to command its approache
and then confronting the attacke
with superior firepower from pro
tected positions Gen. Spaatz said
The areas strategically importan
to the exercise of air power, how
ever, can be defended only to {
limited degree by placing superio
firepower in the form of interceptol
aircraft and anti-aircraft artiller,
to command the approaches to tn,
strategic area
/ The general said that the ulti
mate defenses available to tn,
United States for protection from
aerial attack from over the top o
the world was in the maintenance
of striking -force-in being tina
could answer such aerial Aggression
with a smashing retaliatory attack
The importance of the Al
(See SPAATZ, Page AID