A Question of Loyalty: Gen. Billy Mitchell and
the Court-Martial That Gripped the Nation by Douglas C. Waller.
HarperCollins Publishers (http://www.harpercollins.com), 10 East 53d
Street, New York, New York 10022-5299, 2004, 448 pages, $26.95
(hardcover).
The trials of O. J. Simpson, Kobe Bryant, and Scott Peterson held the
attention of the entire country, but they are hardly a new phenomenon.
Long before the development of Court TV and the 24-hour news networks,
Americans were interested in the legal troubles of the famous and
infamous. For reasons that defy explanation, we are inveterate
observers of others’ misfortunes, whether deserved or not. Trials are
the legal versions of car wrecks or fires. We are drawn to them like
moths to a flame. A Question of Loyalty tells the story of a trial
that held the nation spellbound in the fall of 1925. Not merely a
trial, it was a court-martial, which combines the elements of criminal
law with military discipline.
Billy Mitchell had acquired national and international fame when the
Army brought him up on charges. This war hero and aviation pioneer
forged his career by aggressively pursuing his own agenda to advance
military aviation as he divined it. After over 25 years in the
service, Mitchell had risen to the temporary rank of brigadier general
as the Army’s assistant director of the Air Service—a position
attained by being his own man, according to some sources. Others would
describe this trait in terms of his refusal to be a team player.
Born and raised in privilege, Mitchell was a childhood playmate of
Douglas MacArthur. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he
enlisted in the same militia regiment that his father served in during
the Civil War. Through his father’s political connections, Mitchell
soon received his commission as a signal officer. His stellar
performance in a series of assignments, including the Philippines,
marked him as a man with a bright future in the Army. Before World War
I, he learned to fly and became an aviator—a normal course of events
since military aviation was an arm of the -Signal Corps at the time.
When the United States entered the war, Mitchell shipped out to
Europe, virtually took command of the fledgling American Air Service,
and developed his ideas about the primacy of military aviation. When
the war ended, his head was full of ideas about how to advance and
gain the independence of the aviation arm. Mitchell would let nobody
stand in his way, and he didn’t care whose toes got smashed in the
process.
Author Douglas Waller effectively explains how Mitchell’s dedication
to this cause brought him fame in military and civilian circles but
alienated a large contingent of soldiers, sailors, and politicians.
His hard-line quest for the expansion of military aviation encroached
on many others’ turf. Mitchell’s inability to work within the
construct of Army bureaucracy finally resulted in removal from his War
Department position and exile to Fort Sam Houston, Texas—considered a
backwater post. Along with his reassignment came a reduction to his
permanent rank of colonel. His removal and demotion left him truly
rankled.
Mitchell did not suffer embarrassment well, and his reassignment did
not shut him up. In Texas he continued to needle the system by writing
articles, books, and speeches critical of anyone or anything that
opposed him. Although this commentary was well received by the public,
the Army bided its time, waiting for him to stumble. Stumble he did
after the tragic crash of the Navy’s airship Shenandoah. Just days
after the accident, Mitchell issued a public broadside in which he
indicted the Army’s and -Navy’s management of military aviation as “criminally negligent”
and
“almost treasonable.” This statement caused
a firestorm in the press that Mitchell expected would result in his
recall to Washington so that he could clean up the mess he blamed on
others. He was in fact summoned to Washington—to face a court-martial.
Bringing this human drama to life, Waller tells a spellbinding story
equal to the best courtroom fiction. He expertly interweaves the
details of Mitchell’s personal life and military career with the
suspenseful events of the seven-week trial. Even military readers
familiar with the story will find themselves entertained and educated
by this account.
As good as this book is, readers must remember what it is not. It is a
courtroom drama—not an exploration of the limits of free speech in the
military. Waller merely touches on the subject. Furthermore, it is not
a treatise on the place of airpower in military operations. Although
that question casts a shadow on the entire proceedings, it too remains
largely unexplored. Nevertheless, the book stands on its own merits
without entering into these controversies.
Additionally, readers may find the explanation of Mitchell’s
relationship with Douglas MacArthur less than satisfying. Both grew up
to become heroes whose careers were tainted by charges of
insubordination. Interestingly, MacArthur sat on the court-martial
board that convicted Mitchell. The author briefly discusses
MacArthur’s performance in the court-martial but does not go into
detail, instead referring readers to biographies of the general.
Regardless of any such deficiencies, readers of this journal will find
this real-life courtroom drama full of suspense and worthy of their
attention.
CSM James H. Clifford, USA
McDonough, Georgia
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
Book Reviews | Home Page | Feedback? Email the Editor