The Mitchell Case

The trial of Colonel William Mitchell for "insulting" the Army and Navy (TIME, Nov. 9 et seq.) last week brought forward colorful witnesses.

Captain Anton Heinen, German Zeppelin expert, was among them. He declared that the Shenandoah had been made unsafe for operation because safety valves had been removed.

Rear Admiral William S. Sims, retired, declared that in his belief the warship of the future is the airplane carrier; that the Navy Department has no aviation policy; that it is hazardous to send airplanes into the Arctic. Of the Shenandoah, he said: "My idea as to that whole business is this: We may presume that the commander and his staff were the best people the Navy Department could supply. If they were not, their designation was a criminal act. And assuming they were the best, if there was any interference from outside by people less competent, it was at least a violation of the first principles of humanity.

"If Lansdowne was told we needed information for future construction, that that trip was in the interest of the national defense, it would have been right for him to go, but if the trip was for the purpose of sailing over a lot of fairs, then the whole thing was wrong."

Major Edward Rickenbacker, officially credited with bringing down 26 German planes during the War, testified that he had been under anti-aircraft fire for about 300 hours and did not think anything of its effectiveness; that he considered it suicidal to send up aviators without parachutes.

"Would you be surprised if you were told an American anti-aircraft battery brought down nine planes?" asked the prosecution.

"I wouldn't be surprised at anything in the official reports you refer to. And I would be surprised if anybody believed it," answered Major Rickenbacker.

Mitchell Himself. At last Colonel Mitchell himself came to the stand. The Court informed him of his rights. He could: 1) be silent; 2) make an unsworn statement which the court would consider; 3) be sworn and be questioned and cross-questioned. Colonel Mitchell chose the last course. He was sworn and his lawyer, Congressman Frank Reid, questioned him, bringing out his service record, how he had served in France, been decorated, thanked by General Pershing, etc. He then began to testify concerning the things he had recommended for the Air Service which higher officials had not carried out: a better meteorological service for aviators; air units in military schools; an air force in Alaska; an agreement with Canada for airways northward from the continental U.S.; an airplane capable of traveling 200 miles an hour at 30,000 feet altitude and with a cruising radius of 1,500 miles; a study of how to repel an aerial attack on cities such as New York. He said that he believed an enemy war ship lying 100 miles off Manhattan could pump aerial torpedoes into the city.

When less than two hours were passed, Mr. Reid had finished and turned Colonel Mitchell over for cross examination by the prosecution. At once he was pressed by questions concerning his plans for the defense of Hawaii. Major Gullion contended that the cost of putting Colonel Mitchell's plan for the defense of Hawaii into effect, would be $624,700,000. Said Major Gullion: "Your plan would require 125,000 submarines to make the defense of the Pacific effective against Japan.

"It would require twice the wealth of the United States."