In article ,
"George Z. Bush" writes:

"BUFDRVR" wrote in message
...
Yes, and he was also courts-martialled for insisting that airpower alone
could
win a war

No, he was court martialled (and rightfully so) for publically accusing both
the President (Calvin Coolidge) and Congress of treason in what he believed
was
their negligence in managing and funding the US Army Air Corps and aviation in
general.

I believe the crash of a US Navy dirigible was what prompted him to make the
remarks to a national newspaper.

Mitchell continued to publicly press for a separate air arm after some half
dozen obsolete naval war vessels had been sunk by air attack in various tests.
This is what the Air Force Museum's home page says about his courts-martial:

"The success of the bombing trials encouraged the supporters of a separate air
arm to press even harder for their objectives but the Army General Staff
remained firm in its belief that airpower, acting independently, could not win a
war. Mitchell became increasingly critical of his superiors until his public
statements could no longer be condoned. In Dec. 1925 he was found guilty before
a court-martial of violating the all-inclusive 96th Article of War and was
suspended from duty for five years. In 1926, Mitchell resigned from the
service."

G.Z.,
The bombing tests were several years before the Court Martial. The
charges had nothing to do with his pressing for a separate air
force. That was, while irritatiing, tolerable. The proximate casue
of the charges was that after the loss of the Navy's rigid airship
Shenandoah (ZR-1), in a line squall over the midwest during a
publicity tour, He'd made his statements referring to the President,
the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of War, and the Admiralty
as traitors. (It _was_ an emotional event - the Captain of the
Shenandoah was a personal friend of Mitchell, and had advised
against the trip as too risky during that time of year. The airship
captain's non-aviator superiors ordered him out anyway.) After the
initial statements, MItchell was ordered to not make any uncleared
public statements, but continued to do so. This prompted teh
charges of insubordination.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster