AMERICA WARNED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 8, 11 January 1939, Page 9

AMERICA WARNED

BUILDING OF PLANES

GERMAN CHALLENGE

DATA FOR CONGRESS

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

WASHINGTON, January 10,

i A warning that American leadership in the development of com-mercial-as well as military aircraft is seriously challenged is contained in the annual report of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The signatories include Mr. Orville Wright and Colonel Lindbergh, who state that the United States will lose her position unless research is [greatly intensified. j It is pointed out that Germany has I nine research laboratories, each ot \ which is equivalent to America's one. [ Mass production is approved, but it is stated mere numbers are not. enough. President Roosevelt, who is expected to present his defence message to Congress on Thursday, immediately sent the report to Congress. He is endeavouring to remove any doubts as to the necessity of his 500,000,000-dollar defence programme by recalling the United "States Ambassadors in London and Paris, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Bullitt, from their holidays to give legislators a frank picture of the European situation. " \ Armed with secret data on the German air force contained in the Lindbergh report, they will address Congressional committees behind locked doors. A cablegram received from Washington on Monday, stated:—Officials of the State Department admitted that Colonel Lindbergh had advised the . Government that within a year Germany would seriously challenge the United States dominance in tl^e world market for commercial transport planes because of her mass-productioa methods and new manufacturing techniques. Colonel Lindbergh advised the United States to meet the German i threat by developing a new and simple experimental plane,<models of which' could be speedily produced on.a mass basis in the event of an emergency. He estimated German air strength at approximately 10,000 first-line fighters and bombers, wpth production facilities for war planes unequalled in the world.