National Affairs: Nice Fellow

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The House Appropriation sub-committee dealing with military affairs last week had Colonel Charles Augustus Lindbergh interrupt his study of U. S. air facilities (TIME, May 8) to tell (in secret session) what he knew about aerial Europe. Witness Lindbergh, in a dark suit, dark tie, turned out to be a nice fellow who had flown German planes, knew they were fast but had not been allowed to use airspeed indicators. The German planes he saw were not so elaborately made as U. S. craft, could not haul bombs across the Atlantic. He told so little (scarelines in newspapers notwithstanding) that one Congressman privately asked the Air Corps' Major General Henry Arnold, who was present, whether the witness was holding out.

Said General Arnold: "No."

Mississippi's Ross Collins seized the occasion to recall that once when he needed a Biblical quotation for a speech, he borrowed a Bible from the late devout old Congressman Ackerman of New Jersey. On the flyleaf was written: "I had this Bible in my pocket when I went up with Lindbergh."

"In other words, Mr. Lindbergh, said Mr. Collins, "he trusted more in the Lord than he did in your flying."

Lindbergh laughed.