Josephus Daniels to Woodrow Wilson

Several days ago I had a message from naval headquarters in London, saying that General Brancker was on his way to the United States to advise America to have a Secretary of Aviation, and amalgamate all the flying agencies of the Government. He has arrived and an interview is published in the New York papers along that line. I see that Senator Reed of Missouri is also advocating it. I thought you would like to read an extract from a letter from Captain Hutch I. Cone, one of the ablest officers of the Navy, who was sent abroad early in the war in charge of the aviation.

In a letter to Captain Irwin, Director of Naval Aviation, Captain Cone writes as follows:"When they talk amalgamation of the operation of these affairs at home, the action of the British authorities is rather illuminating, for they had not been operating but a very few weeks under the combined forces before they found it necessary to establish what they call Group Five and place this command under the command of the Admiral at Dover, which really is established for operating purposes as a small part of the old R.N.A.S.

As you know, I have written you in the past that I rather lean to the question of amalgamation, but since my recent visit to England I am strongly of the opinion that it will never do to amalgamate the operation of aircraft, and I think anyone who desires to do this had better look into the results following the amalgamation in England, and especially the effect on the Navy as concerns its anti-submarine campaign.

The English have sent a commission to the United States with General Brancker in charge, and from all I gathered in England, he is a light weight; in fact, they are using this method to unload him. At any rate, he first started out to go over and recommend to the President that we amalgamate our Air services, but after an interview with Sims and looking into the matter, he claimed when he left that he was going to advocate no such thing. I am rather curious to know what the results of this commission have been. I personally believe that the main motive behind its visit is one to justify the English in their foolish move in the middle of the war.