The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956 Page: 450
587 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
tion be supplied at the earliest possible moment with at "least
ten of the highest powered, highest climbing and best weight
carrying aeroplanes" that could be purchased in the United
States."4 On April 3, 1916, the wrath of the Army pilots in Mexico
found its way to the front pages of the New York World in an
article headed "Handicapped by Officials Here, Aviators in Mex-
ico Tell World," and subheaded "Risking lives ten times a day
but are not given equipment needed says Capt. Foulois," and
"Criminal to send men up under such conditions, Lieut. Dargue
avers." The sensational article stated that the officers of the
squadron were emphatic in their declaration that "they have
failed to receive cooperation in their service in the present cam-
paign," that "the aviation system . . has been badly bungled in
Washington," and that "politics, personal ambition and utter
lack of knowledge of aviation" were responsible for the poor
results achieved by the squadron in Chihuahua. The reporter,
B. C. Utecht, told of having talked with Captain Foulois and
Lieutenants Gorrell, Carberry, Dargue, Willis, Chapman, and
others, and "all agreed that they had not had a square deal."
The article went on to argue for airplanes with greater load
capacities, more power, and greater stability for operations in
mountainous regions."
This unofficial and unauthorized news release, needless to say,
brought severe reactions from high Army circles. The Secretary
of War forwarded the clipping to the Commanding General,
Southern Department, for a "report as to whether or not the
officers named" were responsible for the interview. General
Funston, in turn, sent the letter to the Adjutant General in the
field recommending an investigation to determine "whether the
World correspondent with the Punitive Expedition wrote the
article, and if he did, whether or not the story passed the censor."
Foulois lost no time in denying the quotation attributed to him
and stated that he had not at any time given any newspaper cor-
respondent an interview in connection with aviation matters
of the Army. Chapman and Carberry also disclaimed knowledge
of the source of the statement. A full scale investigation con-
41Ibid.
55Ibid., citing New York World, April 3, 1916; National Archives, Signal Corps
Document No. ooo.75.450
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956, periodical, 1956; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101162/m1/476/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.