Following is the oath taken by members of the selection board, which recommend officers for promotion to the ranks of commander, captain, and rear admiral:

You and each of you do solemnly swear or affirm that you will without prejudice or partiality, and having in view solely the special fitness of officers and the efficiency of the naval service, perform the duties imposed upon you by law, so help you God?

My own independent study of the matter leads me to subscribe to the policy of the rotation of a line officer's duty, to widen his career and to make him better qualified to command the closely coordinated numbers of the different types of naval weapons or important units thereof, all going to make up a modern fleet such as ours. Aeronautical weapons, both heavier-than-air and lighter-than-air are today only arms of the fleet, but admittedly important ones. Hence as long as aircraft do not entirely or even substantially displace surface types, aeronautical line officers as well as others should have the widening experience afforded by judicious rotation. At the same time, I cannot overlook the implied requirements that even those line officers who may never perform aeronautical duties should learn as much as they can about the use of aeronautical weapons as arms of the fleet. There are other obvious advantages to the Navy's policy in regard to officers in its aeronautical arms that are worthy of rementioning. For example, there is the important matter of what to do with the cases of aeronautical officers who pass through the lower grades and find no billets for themselves in the higher grades, where only reduced numbers are required. Though a stiff elimination by election and retirement might be imposed, but this would force entirely out of the service officers though who no longer needed in aeronautical activities are nevertheless fundamentally line officers and could thereby be utilized in surface craft for important duties there. Consideralso that there are officers who through no fault of their own become physically or otherwise unqualified in the additional requirements imposed on flying personnel; under the Navy system such officers are not lost but can go back to important general line duties elsewhere in the Naval Establishment whereas they would become "deadwood" if restricted in qualifications to an only "specialty".

As a further example, for the sake of argument let us consider the case of line officers specializing in airships. This project is still in somewhat of an experimental status. Should it fail to achieve recognized status in the Navy, a situation which I regard as indeed remote however, those line officers who were the specialists in that branch could go back to the general line for which their training under present policy has fitted them; without that they might become "lost souls."

It was certainly not the intention of Congress to allow the spirit and letter of its enactments on these matters to become mere scraps of paper. Neither do I believed that those charged with the administration of such laws would ever interpret or apply them except as intended by their originators. I therefore believe that the Navy already possesses most of the essential elements for a successful system of handling and protecting its aeronautical officers almost wholly within the authority already vested in the Secretary of the Navy and the Department, and subject, of course to common sense, judi

cious and just interpretation and application, while aircraft occupy their present status as naval weapons.

This sane and just interpretation, however, must be thoughtfully applied in such a branch as lighter than air during its pioneering stages, to provide adequate continuity and until it is a recognized and established arm of the fleet, and further until sufficient personnel, adequate both in training and numbers, are available to permit the full application of the Department's rotation policy without detriment to that branch.

For several years and on numerous occasions I called attention to the fact that we were not training sufficient numbers of lighterthan-air personnel to fill necessary billets and to permit application of the Department's policy of rotation of duties of line officers in airships without detriment to that service. As a matter of fact, in spite of the fact that our light-than-air portion of the 5-year aircraft program is fast approaching fruition, we nevertheless still do not have in the Bureau of Aeronautics any qualified line officer of sufficient experience in airship operation to advise on the many and divergent problems constantly arising.

Summarizing, the following are my opinions and consequent recommendations:

A. That the Navy's present policy of rotation for aeronautical line officers, if judiciously and generously interpreted and applied contains the essential elements of a successful system, certainly as long as aircraft occupy their same relative status in the Navy as at present. The policy and system should be continued.

B. It is not difficult for a line officer who specializes in aeronautics to find sufficient time and opportunity to obtain the necessary general line qualifications to carry him through the lower grades up to and including the lieutenant commander. Also, I do not believe an officer should obtain flag rank from solely aeronautical experience, as the situation stands today. Consequently, the critical grades for an aeronautical line specialist to obtain are those of commander and captain. Accordingly, I recommend that the provisions of section 3, paragraph 6, of the Air Program Act of 1926 be made applicable not only to "any officer of the Navy line or staff of the permanent rank or grade of commander or lieutenant commander at the time of the passage of this act" and so forth, as it now reads, but to any officer of the Navy, line or staff of the permanent rank or grade of commander or lieutenant commander who has specialized in aviation, and so forth, and as further therein now specified. Such action would enable an officer who so elected, to specialize in aeronautics throughout his career and into the rank of captain, if he desired, with his chance for promotion and welfare assured that far, but rightly not into flag rank from such specialization alone.

C. Train adequate numbers of line officers to permit the application of its policy of rotation to line officers specializing in airships without destroying essential continuity or without detriment to that branch.

D. Until the certain achievement of C and during the pioneering period of airships, recognize that situation and meet it with generous and just interpretation of both policy and law toward personnel concerned.

I trust the committee will recognize that will my recommendations herein coincide to a high degree with present Navy Department

policy, my opinions as recorded are my best judgment and have been formed entirely of my own volition.

Speaking for myself, as an individual intensely interested and absorbed in the furtherance of airships, I wish to thank the committee for the continuous and very evident attitude of cooperation, justice, and a high order of willingness to help the interests and welfare of those officers engaged in airship activities.

Senator KEAN. Admiral Pratt has charge of the personnel of the Navy?

Commander ROSENDAHL. Admiral Upham is Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, charged with personnel matters.

Senator KEAN. So that when it comes to appointing you to command of the Akron, Admiral Moffet was the man?

Commander ROSENDAHL. The Bureau of Aeronautics is charged with making recommendations in regard to aeronautical personnel, and the final and official action is that of the Bureau of Navigation. Senator KEAN. That is Admiral Upham?

Commander ROSENDAHL. Yes, sir.

Senator KEAN. I would like to have Admiral Upham here for one question.

Representative DELANEY. Senator, Admiral Upham may be able to come here, but as I understand Admiral Upham has been transferred now to sea duty, has he not; he will leave the Bureau of Navigation very shortly?

Senator KEAN. Yes; but the point I am getting at is he is responsible for appointing the captain of the Akron and I want to see why. That is all the questions I want to answer Commander Rosendahl. Representative DELANEY. Have you any further witnesses? Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. No, sir; I have no other witnesses.

Representative DELANEY. It was agreed last week that we would end the hearings on Monday, June 5.

Senator KEAN. That is right, and I am ready to end it, but I would like to have Admiral Upham to answer that one question.

Representative DELANEY. Senator King has just said to me it might be well to meet once more for a brief meeting tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock; at that time Admiral Upham will be asked to be here for the purpose of your question.

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. We will endeavor to see about that.

Representative DELANEY. Yes; Lieutenant Harper can arrange for him to be here for a brief time tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock; does it meet with the approval of the committee to meet tomorrow at 10 o'clock for the purpose of a very brief meeting?

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. Mr. Chairman, I would like permission to have inserted in the record a more orderly and perhaps a little more comprehensive memorandum on the subject of the technical construction of the ship Akron. It will simply be a technical memorandum which I will get from the Navy Department. There has been a lot of testimony about it, but I would like to get it tacked into one orderly memorandum.

Representative DELANEY. The members of the committee have heard the request of the counsel. Is there any objection to that being done?

Senator KEAN. I think that is all right.

Representative DELANEY. The chair hears no objection and it is so ordered.

Now, shall we consider our work ended for today and meet tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock?

Senator KEAN. I so move.

Representative DELANEY. We will meet for the purpose of hearing Admiral Upham and anyone else who may come in; Senator King may have one more witness, which will be for a very brief time tomorrow morning to end the hearings.

(Thereupon at 4:20 p.m. an adjournment was had until tomorrow, Tuesday, June 6, 1933 at 10 a.m.)