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WASHINGTON TIMES
THE NATIONAL DAILY
WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18,1925

SIMS UPHOLDS MITCHELL

PAGELOW BACKS UP COL. MITCHELL IN HIS AIR CHARGES

Scott Field Commandant Specifically Says General Staff Is Incompetent.

ARMY CIRCLES AROUSED

Address Made Behind Closed Doors Before Associated Engineering Societies.

ST. LOUIS, NOV. 28.—Army circles were excited over reports revealed today of a charge of incompetency hurled at the general staff by Lieut. Col. John A. Pagelow, commandant of Scott Field, Belleville, Ill., in an address last night behind closed doors before the Associated Engineering societies of St. Louis.
He specifically said that the general staff was "incompetent to supervise the air service."

IN SERVICE 30 YEARS. 
Pagelow, who has been in the service about 30 years, is commandant of the army's chief lighter than air post. He is an intimate friend of Col. William Mitchell, who is now being courtmartialed in Washington.
Pagelow defended Mitchell in the stand the fiery colonel has taken in criticizing the nation's air service, declaring "Mitchell and not the general staff, is the logical judge of air defense conditions."
"Mitchell holds no grudge against anyone on the general interest staff nor the controversy," Pagelow declared. "His only concern is for the defense of the United States which is inadequate."

SHENNANDOAH CITED.
Defective engineering was blamed by Pagelow for the Shenandoah disaster in his speech.
"Change the stresses and strains in the structure of a building and it will topple," he continued.  "The same was true of the Shenandoah. And then in its weakened condition it was sent aloft without parachutes. Commander Lansdowne knew what was wrong with the Shenandoah when he protested. But like a good sailor, he obeyed orders and set out on what he felt might be his last flight."

MITCHELL BACKED BY SIMS

Admiral Goes on the Stand at Court-Martial Trial—More Sensational Charges

Admiral William S. Sims, retired, a stormy petrel in the national defense problem of another day, this afternoon took the witness stand at the court martial of Colonel William Mitchell to defend the flying colonel's criticism of the administration of aviation.
The gray haired, white-bearded admiral came to Washington from New York especially to testify at the court martial.  He took the stand a few minutes after his arrival,  having rushed to the trial from his train.
The admiral touched briefly on reports that the Navy Department was "muzzling" its officers who appeared before Congressional committees. Sims said he knew instances where naval officers didn't tell of affairs critical to the department because they were afraid they would not be protected.
One officer told him at a Congressional hearing: "I see people here who will sit on my next promotion board and I'll say nothing. I have a wife and two children."
"Well, if we meet an enemy with more planes than we have," Sims said, "he will drive down our airplanes until he commands the air over our fleet. Then it's a question whether an airplane controlling the air over the ships can sink our fleet with bombs. Down at the Navy Department, they say the airplanes can't."
"What do you think?"
"After watching how easily bombs from aircraft sink the largest ships afloat," Sims replied. "it is entirely inevitable that a vessel is at the mercy of the airplane that controls the air above him."