Scouts, Planes and Sculptors: Episode #71

Highlights

The sculptor and the airplane industry: Gutzon Borglum | @01:40

General compromise - Mike Shuster | @09:15

Marshall’s plan for Cantigny - Dr. Edward Lengel | @13:15

James Reese Europe Tribute Concert - Ron Wasserman | @18:50

WWI Carnegie Council Fellowship program - Dr. Reed Bonadonna | @25:35

A granddaughter's history of the Boy Scouts - Dr. Julie Seton | @31:35

14-18 NOW: UK Centenary Art Commission - Jenny Waldman | @38:00

Speaking WWI: Cup ‘a Joe | @46:05

Dispatch Newsletter: highlights | @47:50

The Centennial in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @49:35----more----

Opening

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #71 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

This week:

Mike Schuster, from the great war project blog tells us about General Pershing’s “compromise”, unpopular with the French and British command

Ed Lengel with the story about the man who plans the Attack on Cantigny

Ron Wasserman tells us about the upcoming James Reese Europe musical tribute in New York

Dr. Reed Bonadonna introduces us to the WWI fellowship program from the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

Dr. Julie Seton shares a history of the Boy Scouts

Jenny Waldman joins us from the UK to tell us about the  amazing WW1 public arts projects from 14-18 NOW organization

Katherine Akey with the commemoration of world war one in social media

All on WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation.

I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show.

[MUSIC]

Preface

In July of 1917, shortly after America enters the war, congress passes a massive $640,000,000 aviation bill which is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. That is over $13.5 Billion in 2018 dollars and at the time it is one of the largest appropriation for a single idea that the country has ever made -

It passes congress with little or  no objection -

This is in no small part - because there are so many advocates that believe this incredible new technology of flying machines can be pivotal in the war.

In support of the idea, famed airplane pioneer Orville Wright declares:

“When my brother and I built and flew the first man-carrying machine, we thought that we were introducing into the world an invention which would make further wars…  practically impossible since both sides know exactly what the other is doing. “

Orville reasons further:

"If the allies' armies are equipped with such a number of airplanes as to keep the enemy planes entirely back of the line, so that they are unable to direct gunfire or to observe the movement

of the allied troops—

in other words, if the enemy's eyes can be put out —

it will be possible to end the war. “

With that as background let's jump into our Centennial Time Machine and roll back 100 years ago this week to see how the US is doing in realizing that idea...

[MUSIC TRANSITION]

[SOUND EFFECT]

World War One THEN

100 Year Ago This Week

It is the second week of May, 1918.

The pages of the Official Bulletin, the government's war gazette, the newspaper, the New York Times and the magazine Aerial age Weekly are all filled with a story of scandal involving the US aircraft manufacturing industry. Charges of waste, incompetence, malfeasance and graft are being bandied about. And one of the more interesting parts is that a key character leading the charges against the government's Aircraft production board and the airplane manufacturers is none other than Gutzon Borglum.

Who the heck is Gutzon Borglum? You may ask..

Well, he is the sculptor who is going to become famous for a little sculpture he will do between 1927 and 1941 in South Dakota where he will sculpt four heads into the crags of a mountain called Rushmore… But in May of 1918, already