the Germans from seeing, through their
airplanes, what we are preparing we will be very near the end of
the war. It will require a huge effort to carry out this plan.
Neither the English nor the French are able to do so by their own
means.

"As far as France is concerned, she is able to keep on building
machines rapidly enough to increase her aviation corps at about
the same rate as Germany is increasing hers. If she wanted to
double or triple her production of machines she could do so, but
she would have to call back from the trenches a certain number of
skilled workmen, and this would weaken her fighting power. She
needs in the trenches all the men who are able to carry a rifle.

"If the Allies are to have the absolute supremacy of the air
which we have been describing it will be the privilege of America
to give it to them. We want three or four or even five allied
machines for one German. America only has the possibilities of
production which would allow her to build an enormous number of
machines in a very short time.

"The airplane is a great engine of destruction. It tells the
artillery where to fire, it drops bombs, it gives the enemy all
the information he needs to plan murderous attacks. Drive the
German airplanes down and you will save the lives of thousands
of men in our trenches. As Ulysses in the cavern put out the eye
of the Cyclops, so the eyes of the beast must be put out before
you can attempt to kill it."

Major Tulasne and Lieutenant de la Grange then outlined what the
aviation programme of the United States should be, saying:

"American industry must be enabled to begin building at once. No
time must be lost in experiments. America must profit by the
experience of the Allies. She must choose the best planes and
build thousands of them.

"She must build reconnoissance machines which she will need for
her army; she must build a large number of fighting machines
because it is these machines that will destroy German planes; she
must also build squadrons of powerful bombing machines which will
go behind the German lines to destroy the railway junctions and
bomb the enemy cantonments, so as to give the soldiers no rest
even when they have left the trenches.

"Bombing done by a few machines gives poor results. T