893.20/463
The Consul General at Nanking (Peck) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 18.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that in connection with the celebration of the birthday of Dr. Sun Yat-sen on November 12 high-ranking Chinese officials attended the first official review of the embryo China air force.
One squadron of Fleet training ships, one squadron of Douglas observation planes and two squadrons of Curtiss-Hawk pursuit ships, participated in the event. Formation flying, message transmitting on the wing, stunting and a grand finale in the shape of a parachute jump entertained and thrilled the 10,000 spectators.
The “show” was above all a Chinese triumph. The pilots were youngsters, Chinese cadets, still students at the Military Aviation School at Hangchow. They flew their own planes to Nanking and performed like seasoned birdmen. There were slips, to be sure—one element of the pursuit squadron missed its signals and passed the reviewing stand ten minutes late; the star aerobat locked his brakes on landing and came within a hair’s-breadth of somersaulting; the parachute jumper miscalculated the wind velocity, overflew the field by a mere matter of some two miles and came down in a pond outside the Hansimen—but as a whole the review was creditable, and in view of its pioneer character, it was indeed remarkable. Chinese officialdom had ample justification for its manifestation of pride in China’s youth and it is easy to understand the spirit which prompted the crowd to roar its applause at the Chinese air units as they soared and cavorted overhead.
The spectacle had a special significance for the American viewpoint. Every participating ship was American-made and practically every pilot was American-trained. Colonel Jouett and Mr. Knight, Americans, engineered the review and there is no doubt that their presence and supervision accounted for a large measure of the success of the program.
That the program was a genuine success is an indisputable fact. [Page 456] That it has enhanced the prestige of American ships and American aviation instructors is equally certain. It must have given much food for thought to Italians, British and others who would supplant the American influence in Chinese aviation circles.
On November 131 had occasion to discuss the occasion with Colonel Jouett and during the short conversation which I had with him when he called on me I asked him if there were prospects that Italians would replace Americans as instructors at the Hangchow school. He replied that he had flown to Nanchang recently for the purpose of asking Chiang that very question. He said that he had never found the Generalissimo in such a cordial mood and had never received more definite assurance of Chiang’s satisfaction with the progress of the work at Hangchow. Chiang told Colonel Jouett in so many words that he (Jouett) was the senior adviser even if Major Bem-hardi (Italian) should come to China and that there was no intention of substituting Italian instructors for the Americans now under contract to the Chinese Government.
Colonel Jouett also said that there were at present some ten Italian pilots in China whose status vis-à-vis the National Government has not as yet been determined. It is likely that they will be employed to give an advanced course in bombing and that they will settle perhaps in Loyang, perhaps in Hankow but undoubtedly not with the Americans at Hangchow.
A memorandum of my conversation with Colonel Jouett is enclosed.83 I may add that no officer from this office attended the review, although two of them witnessed it from a nearby vantage point.
Very respectfully yours,
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