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MILLING, T. DEWITT, BRIG. GEN. USAF. - BIOG. FILE - FOLDER NO. 1 ITEM NO. 5

There was to be a limit of 30 [[strikethrough]]years[[/strikethrough]] officers. Furthermore, the aviation school could not be in Washington but must be established on some Army Post and it was authorized, as necessary, to move to others. Just what could be accomplished by such a scheme was beyond me. Aviation was in its infancy and needed all of the influence that could be attained from ranking officers in Washington where the proper pressure could be brought to bear both on the Congress and on the War Department.

Hearings were conducted by the Military Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, 63rd Congress,(whose Chairman was the Hon. James Hay) on August 12, 14, 15 and 16, 1913. Naturally the Chief Signal Officer and his staff were against the Bill, but in addition to that, the only officer who testified we could use for it was Beck, who had instigated the bill in the first place. Lieut Foulois, Arnold, Capt. Hennessy and myself, as well as Mr. Randolph Scott, the inventor of the bombsight, all testified against the passage of the bill. Also another Signal Corps officer, who later was to become famous for his service in aviation and his fight for a separate Air Service, Captain William Mitchell a regular Signal Corps Cpt. but then serving a detail with Gen Hoff also testified. The bill was disapproved by the Military Affairs Committee and no attempt was made again to separate aviation until the beginning of the first world war.

There seems to have been over the years constant reference to aviation languishing latching onto the Signal Corps and the idea seems to be that if aviation had been separate it would have progressed faster. I personally think the Signal Corps is due a great credit for its development of aviation. Due to the fact that it had always been the policy of the Signal Corps (instituted by Gen Greeley as Signal Corps Officer - 1891) to foster everying capable of air operation - baloons, airships and airplanes - I sincerely doubt if aviation could possible have been developed with even minor efficiency under any other system.