Evening star., 1950-01-15

Juan Trippe
come. When the Post Office De.
partment opened up airmail tt
private contractors, he organized
Colonial Air Transport, late ir
1925. and won the award of the
first domestic airmail contract.
Pioneering though this was, un.
developed Latin America present.
ed greater challenge. Proceeding
cautiously, he chose the 90-milt
route between Key West and Ha.
vana as the first leg of an am.
bilious Latin American service, ne.
gotiated airmal contracts with
both the American and Cubar
governments and inauguratee
service in the fall of 1927. He wa
then 28 years old and he wa.
president of Pan American Air.
ways. Over in Holland seven year.
before, a visionary Dutchmar
named DR.. Albert Plesman begar
seasonal air service between Am.
sterdam and London with a little
airline now almost as famous as
Pan American-KLM. Roya
Dutch Airlines. DR.. Plesman is
still president and is Mr.. Trippe's
only senior in international all
transportation.
AS Mr.. Trippe's Pan American
Airways grew into Latin America
an understanding developed
among the budding domestic air.
line operators that he should stay
out OF the continental United
States and the internal companies
would stick to the gigantic task
OF building network of airlines
here at home and leave Mr.. Trippe
alone. They wanted none of his
jungle and tropical water flying.
Government Generous
The Government was generous
TO the domestic airlines with mail
contracts and it built thousands
OF miles Of lighted and radio air.
ways for them. Municipalities con-
trlputed airports and everybody
pitched in to help make scheduled
flying, first with mail, then with
passengers and express, a success
The Government also was gen.
erous with Pan American, award
ing 1t substantial foreign airmai
contracts and mail payments
which took into account costs OF
Mr.. Trippe having to provide his
own operating facilities, but there
the assistance ended. It was left
to Mr.. Trippe to negotiate land
ing rights in foreign countries, re-
turn-mail contracts and airport
and flying boat bases along his
ever-growing routes. Gifted with
all the oil and polish of diplomat
the young airline president even
tually negotiated 62 agreements
with foreign nations for opera
tional rights.
MIR. Trippe and Pan American
rapidly became synonymous with
the United States of America
abroad. They carried the Ameri-
can flag against foreign subsidized
competition; they made friends
for America in foreign lands; they
facilitated the travel of American
businessmen and helped ease
their problems in strange sur
roundings. They became SO influ-
ential among the countries they
served that for a time there was
a saying: when in a Jam, SCI
Pan Ami" This was because oul
foreign service, pretty much with
out a policy, Stunned American
businessmen and their problems
notably in some Latin American
countries.
AS Pan American reached out
to conquer first the Pacific Cir
l935) and then the Atlantic (ir
1880 with scheduled passenge,
service, our domestic lines also
progressed. They went in for night
flying on a big scale, combatted
weather with instrument flying
provided greater schedule frequen.
cies and as the result of the keer
competition set up by the Gov.
ernment they contributed to tn,
development of faster and NOR,
commodious airliners.
Gradually the understanding be.
gan to build up in the minds O
aviation people that Pan Ameri
cans international airline opera
tions were vastly different In jus
about every particular Nfrom tn,
domestic services. The two wer,
separate and distinct; each wa
supreme and superior in it's felt
and that's the way they should re-
main. Consequently in any officia
discussion of scheduled air trans
portation, the differentiation wa
always emphasized by use Of tn,
term domestic and foreign air
lines" the foreign" meaning Pa,
American-operated.
i Scheduled air transportation
domestic and foreign. was happ,
in the middle '30s. Occasion
| ally, though, there'd be squawk
from Government officials agains
some Pan American underling
for their open display of AFRO
gance and even defiance Of SOM
! (See REGULATED. Page CD