Show DERN ASSAILS AIR MILITARISM Ho House se Proposals for New New Aircraft ft Not Sane Secretary Asserts I Br As Associated As Press WASHINGTON March 1 See Secretary Sec Sec- Dern n im 1 d r Beyond oncI any sane estimate label labe today across congressional con con- gressional plans for lor a 8 wide expansion of army ormy aviation The war department and Its its' itson on onetime one onetime time traditional ally the house mill mill- tary affairs committee e thereupon broke off friendly relations The committee promptly prepared a comeback comeback comeback come come- back of its own Dern Bern singled out for tor attack two bills bill introduced by Chairman McSwain McSwain Mc- Mc Swain one of which would give the army new planes In a statement statement statement state state- ment to the committee Dern termed them one sided partisan and even cven prompted by self interest The first of ot these two bills he be said would provide on an air force so f beyond any sane estimate of ou our defensive c needs and so costly that tha its passage could be construed by bythe bythe bythe the world only as as an evidence either eithe of ardent militarism or or immediate war Invited Before Committee McSwain forthwith invited the war secretary to come up and end tell tel his committee about it He Re added The committee has several times re requested Secretary tary Dern to appear before it and end explain his attitude aLtitude buhe but bu buthe buthe he has never come com W We are arc still stil ready to have him app appear ar at his his' con con- McSwain said he vo would Jd apply al cli possible pr pressure to have the house ad adopt pt today a a resolution to to authorize 2 a committee investigation of all arm ermy procurement methods The Th committee commit commit- tee would hire special Investigators The atmosphere between the war department and the house group has been strained for tor weeks Committee Committe members stated publicly that the department de do was Violating the he will o of con congress gr ss by purchasing airplanes without competitive bidding idding Threaten to Hold Bold Up Tip Funds One committeeman ad added ed openly that because of a subcommittee Investigation In In- the members were ere persona persona persona per sona non grata with much of the Continued ed on Po pu e Two DERN BERN ASSAILS AIR PROPOSALS r Secretary Brands Brands' Bills Bills forc for c New Planes as MI Militarism t J l i I k C Continued from Pare Pace One I II I 1 army general generel staff sWI Private committee committee commit commit- of the a tee talk holding up army 01 p- p bill for a while w wk wasi was k i heard t Meanwhile a grand jur jury f tion into army contracts decided to torun torun run into Its fourth consecutive week after after- new but undisclosed evidence t ta os a placed before it Lobbyist offers ol or millions and whispers of ot p pending 1 I Indictments have gone I Se Secretory Secretary Dern took opportunity I today to crack crock back at a 8 recent criticism I 1 cism by bp Representative McFarlane i r D. D Texas Texa that this country's best f I military plan planes were worse than I those of ot most other powers S Belgium could beat the United Cates t In an air sir combat said the Texan The performance ance of our airplanes airplane equal and in some some instances exceed 4 those of ot any other military ai airplanes la lit the world replied Dern today The war secretary's argument to the committee was that aviation is only one arm arm of a well balanced land defense force D Dern rn als also repeated an attack made public yesterday against the second bill bm to provide a separate b budget and nd separate promotion list for the air corps While While- iJ as UJ unsound oun l as u the plane expansion expansIon expansion ex ex- proposal he said it has the additional defect of tearing down vital elements clements of the balan balanced ed framework frame frame- framework work of defense These two bills he asserted contain c. c other definite proposals so fundamentally unsound as a to ta jeopardize jeopardize dize the safety of our country in any serious war Trey They violate principles s s so basic to sound national defense organization and system st as to risk defeat and disaster disaster disaster dis dis- aster in war The They sacrifice and ignore ig ig- ignore nore sound national defense d preparedness prepared prepared- 1 ness neM as a whole for the special aggrandIzement aggrandizement aggrandizement ag ag- of a special group I Aviation Has A. A Limitations The military airplane is a 3 valuable valuable ble weapon but it has too many limitations limi tal to en le it to be decisive alone It can can only act when in the air On the ground It is helpless It requires an extensive complicated cd and end extremely vulnerable ground organization which comprises about 80 per cent of total personnel to sustain the airplane in but limited ventures into the air during which It is capable of s spectacular but t momentary achievement There was a report at the capitol pitol today that the military ry committee room in the house office oUke building in which a number of papers were kept had bad been broken into on several occasions oc oc- recently It was stated unofficially that nothing nothing noth ing of value had been removed and end that the matter had been kept secret in hope of catching the intruder Instructed to L Lock k Up Papers Papera ommittee members were Instructed instructed instructed in In- to lock up valuable papers in their Individual offices Meanwhile a house military subcommittee subcommittee sub sub- committee investigating war department depart depart- department ment contracts decided today to colIon callon call coll collon on J. J R. R McCarl the comptroller gen gen- era eral to determine wh whether ther he had hod asked congress to change the law laWI under under un un- der which the army has has' been buying airplanes If he has bas not they want wanto to o know why McCarl has had no no Jurisdiction over army airplane purchases since 1926 But on a couple of occasions he ic wrote to war department o officials objecting to the course that was being being being be be- ing pursued on the ground that it was not competitive as congress had in- in tended Chairman Rogers D D. N N. H H. of the subcommittee said today that so far fer faras faras feras as he knew McCarl McCort had not asked congress to change chance the law so he could supervise the contracts on which profits of or as much as 33 71 percent per percent percent cent have been made Committee members during the thed d day took particular Interest t in Dern Derns rn's preparedness Id Ideas No Royal Ro Road to o Defense Detente There is no royal road to national defense he asserted The purchase of f a great quantity of ot airplanes and the creation of a special corps singled out for extraordinary treatment and favors will never protect the Ameri Amen American can people from a determined foe Our best protection Is to accept and build upon American tradition It has been American tradition that our wars if unavoidable shall be fought by the American citizen and not by bya a subsidized subsidized class ClEW in arms Separatism of ot groups and individuals must b be frowned upon Cla Class Clans spirit must be crushed out There must be no special caste either in the air or ron on the ground The task In war is to equip men tram train and lead men The task in peace Is to prepare men Let LetuS us not be led astray into an attempt to purchase freedom with gadgets |