Archived Speeches
Remarks of L. Welch Pogue
October 23, 2001, Washington, DC
Thank You Again and Again.
I consider this Donald D. Engen Trophy to be the capstone of my rather rich experience. It is like standing on the top of Mt. Everest for my contributions of Aviation Excellence to be recognized by this renowned Aero Club of Washington. In my judgment, I think, it is the greatest aviation club in the world.
This Aero Club Trophy for Aviation Excellence has a very special significance for me. Donald D. Engen was a great man. He was a friend of mine. When I read his book, Wings and Warriors, published in New York and London in 1997, I knew why he had survived the many combat battles he had been in. It was because he had taken his training with the utmost seriousness. He agreed with that.
My remarks about this wonderful reward are divided into two separate parts; both are about pioneering. The first is about how to cope with some of the special “Traits” of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the second part is about some of the matters with which I dealt being of “Pioneering Quality”. I like to talk about the future, but this is about my work in the past; so, I will talk about that.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
I suppose that most of us have personality traits. Well, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had his full share of them. I had been General Counsel of that Civil Aeronautics Board; President Roosevelt appointed me, a staff member, as a member and Chairman of that Board in January 1942. That was at the beginning of our entry in World War II as a formal participant therein. One of his most predominant traits was the following.
F.D.R. Talked Incessantly
He was a master at simplifying complex problems. But, he Talked ad Infinitum. If he started talking when someone who had an appointment with him entered the room, that person would probably have a difficult time breaking into the conversation to discuss the real subject of the meeting. I learned quickly to start talking earnestly when the door opened and I was permitted to enter. That practice worked well, and I used it frequently.
ANOTHER TRAIT:
PRESIDENTIAL PRYING INTO THE NEXT DECISIONS
Under the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the CAB was supposed to keep its decisions confidential until published. President Roosevelt wanted to be informed ahead of time about such matters, and I knew of this trait of his. How was I to keep him from bothering me much of the time? I formulated a plan.
I went to see him and I proposed: “I understand, Mr. President, that you think that air transport and aviation generally are important in the war program. I enthusiastically agree. So, how would you like it if I came over once each month and informed you about our actions during the past 30 days? I would require only 20 minutes each session.”
Most eagerly, he thought that that was an excellent arrangement; and he said, “Let’s do it that way”. I thought that this program would make him look good, and that he would keep current on developments. At the end of 20 minutes, I stopped, and then he took over; and often he talked about his problems for half an hour or more. As long as he lived, we kept that program going. As I remember it, he never once got into the area that I tried to keep him from -- the future.
HIS ONE- PAGE TRAIT
President Roosevelt did not want to be obliged to read any memorandum over one page in length. He called long memoranda “Trash” (only he used much stronger language). Most aviation problems were technical in nature. They could not be treated well on only one page. So, I decided this way of defeating that trait. I simply divided the memorandum into as many half-pages as necessary, and then I sent them to him, one at a time, over several days; he never failed to read them all as I found out when I next saw him.
ANOTHER TRAIT
THE F.D.R. HANDSHAKE
When he shook hands with you, he looked you straight in the eye, and he gave you his complete attention. People thought that meeting him was a treat; it was because of that trait, I think no matter who you were, he never acted as if he were in a hurry.
ANOTHER TRAIT
HE WAS A SUPERB TEACHER WHEN HE WANTED TO BE
He taught me how to mark up my speeches for proper emphasis, and how to test each sentence to be sure that it could not be misinterpreted when out of context. I have followed this system of marking up his speeches ever since I knew of his method.
ANOTHER TRAIT
PRESIDENTIAL PRESSURE
F.D.R.’s first and last attempt to bring pressure on me to decide a route case like he wanted it to be involved a small operator, Mr. X, in the northeastern part of the country. Mr. X wanted his airline extended into the international field to Nassau, the Capital of the Bahamas. Under the CAA Act of 1938, the president was in ultimate control of international routes; but until the CAB’s decision was submitted to the President, the CAB was to act independently. One day he called to have me come to his office the back secret way. F.D.R. said that president X wanted to get his airline extended to Nassau; and that he had all the politicians up and down the East Coast, involving those cities which had been proposed for service on the route he sought, “on his [Roosevelt’s] back”. Could I assure him that I would try to get him what he wanted?
This would have been a great mistake; but how would I convince him? Just then the telephone rang. F.D.R. turned to me and said that a very confidential telephone call had come in, and so, would I please step out until he had completed that call? I did so; while out, I decided to seize the conversation when the door opened. I did so; I said that the president X was not a good operator; and that it would inflict a wound upon his administration because the president X was (according to my information) about to be court marshalled. He had used military supplies and soldiers to do personal work for him. There, I stopped. President Roosevelt began to talk about how he had missed his opportunity to invest in real estate in Miami. He talked for about 20 minutes; and then he looked at me straight in the eye and said --- “ You do it your way.” He never bothered me again that way. He had concluded, I think, that I was trying to do right for his administration.
F.D.R. BELIEVED IN PEOPLE -- NOT ORGANIZATIONS
One day the president called me on the telephone and said, “Welch, I want you to close down the Philadelphia airport immediately. I’ll send over a couple of Generals to tell you why; and they will make it clear that you are to handle this as “Top Secret” and that you are not to tell one single soul --- not any of your colleagues nor your secretary, not your wife, not anyone.”
I said to him, “Mr. President, I have nothing to do with airports; but if, nevertheless, you still want me to do this, I will try to do it.” He said, “I do want you to do this, and it is at my personal request.” The Generals came. They said that there was a huge ammunition deposit (dump, they called it) underground at the edge of the airport; and that if an airplane overshot and crashed into it, a large portion of Philadelphia would be blown up completely. The top secret nature was that if word got out that the dump was there, enemy sabotage would be almost a certainty.
I called Philadelphia’s mayor, told him what we had to do, and that I would declare open a smaller airport in the Northern part of the city as a temporary substitute. He said, “Are you out of your mind?” I said, “Whatever you think the state of my mind is, you must cooperate with this order.” He complied. The city fathers thought that I was a young upstart drunk with power. I took much abuse silently.
When the war was over, I went before Philadelphia’s Board of Aldermen and explained why I had closed their airport. Thereupon, I think that they forgave me.
I did numerous other “Top Secret” tasks for the president this way. My colleagues did not appreciate it.
ED STETINIUS DENIED ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE OF U.S. INTERNATIONAL AIR POLICY
FDR was sometimes a bit tricky. On one occasion, he called a private meeting (five of us were invited) to discuss international air policy to take effect when the war ended. Just as the meeting was to start, in came Ed Stetinius through the back door of FDR’s office and quietly sat down in the back row of seats. Stet, as he was called, was the Brother-In-Law of Juan Tripp, President of Pan American Airways, and therefore was publicly ruled out of participating at all in international air policy matters. FDR talked about all sorts of other matters until the telephone rang and he took it. When he hung up, he addressed Stet: “Stet, Secretary Hull, just back from a tiring session in Moscow, Russia, is being held in his airplane in a circling maneuver because he is ahead of the time when he was to land and have a press conference. Now, please go order them to land the old man --- they can have a press conference after he rests up. Stet promptly obeyed. FDR immediately switched to air policy (which followed those I had recommended), stated his view clearly, and when Stet reentered the room FDR resumed talking other matters. So, Stet never heard what the air policy was to be from that session.
AIRLINE LOBBYING THE CAB; This is not one of F.D.R.’s traits; but it is important to the pioneer days.
The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 mandated the development of an airline system adequate to the needs of the nation, and provided for the related and necessary regulation of that rapidly growing industry. The airlines then existing were almost in a state of insolvency, having already lost at least half of their capital. The passage of the act was urged unanimously by the industry. In effect, it forbade lobbying and ex party pleading. The new agency’s decisions were to be made “In the Public Interest.”
But the urge to acquire new air routes was great and much lobbying occurred. It became worse with time. Lobbying became so persistent that I called all of the airline presidents in on a conference on lobbying. Other members of the board vigorously opposed the meeting, but I felt that my leadership roll as Chairman required me to have the session.
I advised the meeting that I did not criticize the management or any airline from trying to develop its airline in all proper ways; but that they should consider that trying to lobby members ex parte might boomerang on them. The industry having unanimously urged that the law be passed, if they defied their own law it might show that they were not qualified to be entrusted with an air route or other award. No other member of the CAB said a word. The Presidents filed out of the room as if at a funeral. But I had no more lobbying from airline presidents or other representatives.
I turn now to three of Airline pioneering contributions of airline developments which were of a pioneering quality.
FIRST CONTRIBUTION:
When I entered the U.S. Government service, there were no acceptable safety or economic Governmental rules for the new world of aviation development and regulation which the “Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938” required to be established. No other field of human activity provided helpful guiding principles. It took dedication, imagination, ability, and intensely hard work to develop and promulgate those rules. That was provided by my outstanding staff. Under instructions from the General Counsel, Stuart Guthrie, Esq., I had hired all 36 of them. They were under my leadership. I did not know the politics of any of them, nor did I inquire. I just wanted the best talent that I could find anywhere, and that is what I obtained.
SECOND CONTRIBUTION:
The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 had, as its prime mandate, specific instructions to develop an air transportation system adequate to meet the present and future needs of the domestic and foreign commerce of the United States, of the postal service, and of the National Defense. Backed by unlimited financial subsidy, we were required to consider whatever, in the public interest, would develop such an air transportation system. With that broad-sweeping mandate, it was entirely natural that some detailed regulation would be required to see that the subsidy was well spent. One of the larger issues was, therefore, how much more or less subsidy (paid through mail pay at that time) would permit lower fares in the developmental process. The more subsidy, the lower the fares could be, and Vice Versa.
The results were most gratifying. Under the management of dedicated air transport operators (they seemed to be, for a time, a sort of fraternity in those days) was built the Finest Air Transport System in The World, and at fares much below those charged in foreign countries of similar services.
THIRD CONTRIBUTION:
Sometime before the passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the precedent-breaking DC-3 had been developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was the first aircraft which, with a certain load factor, could make money for its operator without mail pay -- that is, in those days, anyone could start an airline without any government approval in advance.
It is my belief that the prospect of an open, unregulated field put terror into the minds of air mail contract operators. They had already lost 50% of their capital. It is possible, therefore -- and I firmly believe that it is probable -- that the underlying cause of the entire post office contract industry joining to urge the passage of the 1938 act (with its extensive regulative provisions) was the DC-3. Insofar as I know, on on other occasion, has an entire industry urged the adoption of a law which included extensive regulative provisions.
And so, it became a heavy responsibility to decide when I, as one of the government regulators, should wear the “Development Hat” or the “Regulatory Hat” or, perhaps, both “Hats” at the same time. Numerous rather profound judgement decisions were required here, as you can see.
All of the foregoing is why I call it pioneering in the richest sense of the word.
Thank you again and again for the recognition of one person’s contributions, mine, to aviation’s development in its pioneering days.
Lloyd Welch Pogue
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