On 24 July 1917 President Wilson signed an aeronautical appropriation bill amounting to $640,000,000. During the year specifications for aircraft construction and materials were formu lated by the International Aircraft Standard Board of the Advisory Coinmission of the Coandl of National Defense.
The various American manufacturers com bined in an organization called the Marnifac turers Aircraft Association, Incorporated. 'The Aircraft Board was established.
The protection afforded to military ineffi ciency by the militarjr censorship practically eliminated criticism of conditions abroad by labeling as a traitorous pro-German any writer who might try to communicate undesired facts. Nevertheless in the spring of 1918 the American public was rudely awakened from the dream that all was well by news which man aged to reach home, largely because of the critical situation which developed when the re inforced German attacks so nearly drove a wedge between the British and the French. The news was that American armies at last arriving in great strength were proceeding to the firing4ine deficient in aircraft. -After' the rosy, boastful announcements issued in 1917, from governinent sources Congress was shociced to learn that the American aviators in France ladced aircraft, both for training and for fight ing. Otr 21 May 1918 a reorginization was ef fected of the air service previously under the Signal Corps of the army. The public in gen eral was both uneasy and resentful and the President requested former Justice Charles Hughes to conduct an investigation. The charges were that early in the year $691,851, 866.47, appropriated by Congress for the fiscal year ending 30 June 1918, had been. expended.. with practically no results. It was alleged that. members of the Aircraft Board had been finan-, cially interested in contracts. German and dis loyal influences had retarded uotk. Graft had been permitted. On 25 Oct. 1918 the Hughes report was submitted and showed that investiga tions had been conducted in most of the larger plants having governmeut contracts. Nearly. 300 witnesses had been examined and 17,000 pages of testimony taken.
The report showed that of the $691,&51, 866.47 appropriated the actual amount dis-:
bursed for aviation purposes up to 30 Sept. 1918 was $139,186,661.33, subject to a consider able reduction for salvage.
Responsibility for inefficiency and delay in organization and work was placed upon re sponsible officers In the Signal Corps and Jus tice Hughes pointed out that the provisions of. the crimmal statutes do not reach inefficiency.
The investig:ation as to personal interests, disclosed reprehensible conditions exposed at great length and it was recommended that offi. cers found to have had transactions in behalf. of the government with corporations in whose profits they had an interest should be prose cuted under the Criminal Code. Subsequent* it was announced that as no benefit had be,en. gained by the relations found to exist betweew the officials and the contractors the officers criti-. cised in the report, Lieut.-Col. G. W. Mixter and Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent were pardoned by the Pre.sident prior to any prosecution.
The aircraft program delay was attributed to the reason that plans adopted had failed, but the subsequent appointitient of civilians J. D. Ryan and W. C. Porter to take charge of air craft production led to better organization and progress. In the selection of contractors and distribution of work, methods had been so poor that one part of the govertunent program im peded another.
The report discussed misleading publie statements made by official authority, but arrived at no definite conclusion. Causes of delay were attributed largely to lack of lcnowledge' and capacity in the Signal Corps. Con tractors' profits were discussed and the employ, ment of German sympathizers was regarded as unavoidable because of great scarcity of skilled labor.
Equipment of the army was reported as fol lows. The American Expeditionary Force be tween 12 Sept 1917 and 16 Nov. 1918, had re ceived from all sources: Pursuit Manes Poe Ser:rice 3,337 For &boob 90 Observation Planes " 3,421 " Day Bombing Planas " 421 • • 113 Night Reconnalssaince " • 31 ) Among other planes received were 2,285 training planes, 30 experimental planes and 108 Miseellaneotts, making a total of 10,472.