2. The matter of franchises in neutral countries and some jealousies arising out of post-war ambitions of commercial operators. 3. Lack of an adequate and efficient British communications system, which has resulted in deficient radio control, frequently resulting in planes arriving prior to receipt at the destination of radio messages reporting their flight. 4. Lack of whole-hearted cooperation between the British and American officials in part arising out of fear of post-war commercial designs. 5. Tendency on the part of the separate military commanders in Cairo and Basra to regard the Ferry Command as a local, instead of a through, service, resulting in confusion and conflicting instructions. An expert operating man from the civil airlines and an inspector are scheduled to leave shortly for Cairo to investigate and report on the general situation in that district. They will, of course, inquire specifically into any matters which have caused difficulty. Any readjustments required as a result of their report will be incorporated into the general reorganization program now in process. Since the stories of various travelers into this district necessarily reflect the special interest of the individual with whom they have discussed the matter, I suggest that it would be wise to allow the experienced airline operators now in our service, and one of our trained military inspectors report on the matter after hearing all sites, before any final conclusion is reached on the recommendation made by Mr. Johnson that command of the enter- prise be vested in the U.S. Army mission in Cairo. In a long-range transportation problem, it would be unsound if each division superintendent of a railroad had complete authority over equipment and movements through his division without regard to through sched- ules or terminal problems. In the same way, the best operation of this great airline must be planned with these elements very much in mind. If anything unusual develops as a result of the above inspection, I will see that it is brought to your attention. Very sincerely yours, /s/ Henry Stimpson The President The White House The President The White House |