The Politics of Air Power From Confrontation to Cooperation in Army Aviation Civil-Military Relations / Rondall R. Rice.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rice, Rondall Ravon.

Series:

Studies in war, society, and the military.

Studies in war, society, and the military

Studies in War, Society, and the Military

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil-military relations--United States--History--20th century.

Civil-military relations.

Air power--United States--History--20th century.

Air power.

United States--Politics and government--1933-1945.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1919-1933.

United States. Army. Air Corps--Political activity.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxii, 283 p. )

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2012

Place of Publication:

Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Politics of Air Power examines the turbulent development of relations between U.S. Army aviationleaders and civilian officials during the 1920s and 1930s. In the early 1920s Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell and a group of Army Air Service officers tried to force the creation of an independent air force against presidential wishes. They forged political alliances, used propaganda to arouse public sentiment, and circumvented their superiors to appeal directly to congressmen. Mitchell, a flamboyant, popular, and powerful personality, led these efforts and was ultimately court-martialed. Following Mitchell, aviation leaders were careful to avoid distressing presidents, Congresses, and an American public upset at Mitchell's challenges to civilian control. Tensions persisted, however, and the Air Corps took another step backward when Major General Benjamin Foulois misled Congress and the president and revived the image of the Air Corps as a radical element. Not until Major Generals Oscar Westover and "Hap" Arnold, a former radical himself, abandoned the crusade for immediate independence and emphasized cooperation within the Army and with civilian authorities did the Air Corps develop a stable and cooperative relationship with the president and Congress. Rondall R. Rice demonstrates that during the interwar period, civil-military relations between Army aviation leaders and civilian officials developed unevenly from confrontation to cooperation.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-270) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9786610510139

9781280510137

1280510137

9780803204485

0803204485

OCLC:

57480606