HEARINGS
                                 Before
                       COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
                                 of the
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                   on
                    SUNDRY LEGISLATION AFFECTING THE
                    NAVAL AND MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS
                                  1952
                               ----------
                         EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS
                             SECOND SESSION

                              United States
                       Government Printing Office
                            Washington: 1952

                                  9406

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                [No. 69]
            SUBCOMITTEE HEARINGS ON H.R.696, TO AUTHORIZE THE
           PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO PRESENT THE DIS-
              TINGUISHED FLYING CROSS TO COL. ROSCOE TURNER

         HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES,
                           SUBCOMMITTEE NO. 1,
               Washington, D.C., Thursday, March 20, 1952.

        The subcommittee met at 10 o'clock a.m., Hon. Overton Brooks
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
        MR. BROOKS.  The subcommittee will please come to order.
        First, this is a meeting of Subcommittee No. 1 of the Armed
Services Committee.  The first bill that we have scheduled this morning
is H.R. 696.  It is a bill to authorize the President of the United
States to present the Distinguished Flying Cross to Col. Roscoe Turner.
        (The bill referred to is as follows:)

                    [H.R. 696, 82d cong., 1st sess.)

                 A BILL to authorize the President of the United States
        to present the Distinguished Flying Cross to Colonel Roscoe
        Turner
                BE IT ENACTED BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
        OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, That the
        President is hereby authorized to present in the name of the
        Congress the Distinguished Flying Cross to Colonel Roscoe Turner
        in recognition of his meritorious achievements and contribution
        toward the advancement of the science of aerial flight.

        MR. BROOKS.  We have Major Sokay, of the Department of the Air
Force.
        MR. DUCANDER.  Come right up, Major.  He has a prepared
statement.
        MR. BROOKS.  Have a seat, Major, if you will.  Tells us about
this bill.
        Major SOKAY.  The bill under consideration is H.R. 696, This bill
provides that the President be authorized to present in the name of
Congress the Distinguished Flying Cross to Col. Roscoe Turner.
        The Secretary of Defense has designated the Department of the Air
Force to present the views of the Department of Defense on this bill.
The purpose of the bill is to grant recognition to Colonel Turner for his
meritorious achievements and contribution toward the advancement of the
science of aerial flight.
        Colonel Turner has spent the greater part of his life in the
development and improvement of aerial science in America.  His name has
become intimately identified with the progress of aviation, both here and
abroad, and his exploits and accomplishments have been many and varied.
He has won the Thompson trophy race three times; on three occassions he
placed third in the Thompson trophy race; he won second place in the
speed division of the MacRobertson international air race; he has placed
first, second, and third in various runnings of the Bendix
transcontinental air race, and is the only person who has placed in all
three positions in that race; and he has broken the transcontinental air
speed record on seven separate occasions.  None of the above-mentioned
exploits were accomplished in a federally recognized military status, and
it is the view of the Air Force that enactment of this legislation is a
matter wholly within the jurisdiction of the Congress.  The enactment of
this bill to authorize this award would not be without precedent.  By the
enactment of a similar Act, Public Law 276, Seventy-second Congress, the
Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded to Wiley Post, Russell N.
Boardman, John L. Pollando, and Harold Gatty for their aerial exploits
and achievements.
        The fiscal effects of the subject bill in the event of its
enactment would be negligible, consisting merely of the cost of the
appropriate medal and ribbon....



                                                       [pp. 3751-3757]

         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[University of Wyoming, file 1-40-36]

                                           June 25, 1949
Dear Carl:

        I am in receipt of your good letter of June 22nd and I must say
you really stopped me cold, pal, right in my tracks.  There are not
enough words for me to express my feelings to you for this generous thing
that you have done for me - or, I should say, are trying to do for me.

        I haven't been to the office to see you because I talked to your
office and I know that you have had your hands full and with the Atomic
Energy and Armed Services Committees and all the other things, I just
would not bother you.

        I believe you said that there were some questions that you wanted
to aske me about the confidential report that you received from the
Pentagon Building and these I am prepared to answer any time that you
want them.

        Kindest personal regards and, again, it's impossible for me to
thank you in words.

                                        Sincerely,
                                        Roscoe Turner (s)
Honorable Carl Hinshaw
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.


         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[University of Wyoming, file 1-40-36]

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
SUITE 313, HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON 25, D.C.

24 June 1949

Honorable Carl Hinshaw,
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Hinshaw:

This will acknowledge your letter dated June 22nd with regard to your
bill H.R. 5222, "To authorize the President to present the Distinguished
Flying Cross to Colonel Roscoe Turner."

I sent this measure to the Secretary of Defense on June 17 for a report
and I sincerely hope it will be received within a reasonable length of
time.  You may be assured that I shall cooperate with you in every way I
can in connection with this measure.

With best wishes, I am

                                Sincerely yours,

                                Carl Vinson (s)

                                Carl Vinson,
                                Chairman.


         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[University of Wyoming, file 1-40-36]

                      81st CONGRESS       H.R. 5222
                       1st Session
                      -------------------------------
                     IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 16, 1949

Mr. HINSHAW introduced the following bill; which was referred to the com-
                        mittee on Armed Services
                      -------------------------------
                                 A BILL
     To authorize the President of the United States to present the
           Distinguished Flying Cross to Colonel Roscoe Turner

1               Be it enacted by the SEnate and House of Representa-
2       tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3       That the President is hereby authorized to present in the
4       name of the Congress the Distinguished Flying Cross to
5       Colonel Roscoe Turner in recognition of his meritorious
6       achievements and contribution toward the advancement of
7       the science of aerial flight.


         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


     Data transcription by: Milton Sandy, Jr.- Corinth, MS - July 29,
                                                                1994