Col. Billy Mitchell: court-martialed for being right! The Father Of The United States Air Force. He predicted the attack on Pearl Harbor.

[Dronescapes]

Col. Billy Mitchell: court-martialed for being right! The Father Of The United States Air Force. He predicted the attack on Pearl Harbor.

View: https://youtu.be/XFv95zgb1II

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

He wasn't court-martialed for being right. He was court-martialed for being insubordinate.

 

[R Leonard]

And that's a US Navy PBJ on the flight deck.

 

[SaparotRob]

That's a B-25, not a sandwich.

 

[GrauGeist]

And that's a US Navy PBJ on the flight deck.

Aboard CV-38 in late '44, wasn't it?

 

[Alan Stevens]

He wasn't court-martialed for being right. He was court-martialed for being insubordinate.

Nevertheless, the officers court-martialing him were cutting off their nose to spite their face.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Nevertheless, the officers court-martialing him were cutting off their nose to spite their face.

Accuse your superiors of treason at your own risk.

 

[Alan Stevens]

Accuse your superiors of treason at your own risk.

He didn't accuse them of treason.

 

[GrauGeist]

He didn't accuse them of treason.

He sure did.

Mitchell held a press conference in San Antonio, Texas on 5 September 1925 after two tragic aircraft related events and the Secretary of the Navy claiming they were the result of "limitations of Air Power".
During that press conference, Mitchell stated:
"These accidents are the direct result of the incompetency, criminal negligence, and almost treasonable administration of the national defense by the Navy and War Departments".

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

He didn't accuse them of treason.

Near enough as makes no difference -- he called his leaders "almost treasonable". You may have quite the sharp hair-splitter; the generals at the time didn't see matters your way,

 

[GrauGeist]

In the military, a commissioned officer publicly calling his superiors any of the following seperately:
A) Incompetant
B) Criminally Negligent
C) Almost Treasonable
will land that officer in hot water, combine all three and you can rest assured that there will be hell to pay from the top down.

 

[manta22]

In the military, a commissioned officer publicly calling his superiors any of the following seperately:
A) Incompetant
B) Criminally Negligent
C) Almost Treasonable
will land that officer in hot water, combine all three and you can rest assured that there will be hell to pay from the top down.

Yes, but his resulting trial accomplished his goal at the expense of his own career.

 

[R Leonard]

From the Articles of War as found in the Manual for Courts Martial 1920 (1921 edition), Punitive Articles, page 513:

C. Disrespect; Insubordination; Mutiny.

ART. 62. DISRESPECT TOWARD THE PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS, SECRETARY OF WAR, GOVERNORS, LEGISLATURES.--Any officer who uses contemptuous or disrespectful words against the President, Vice President, the Congress of the United States, the Secretary of War, or the governor or legislature of any State, Territory, or other possession of the United States in which he is quartered shall be dismissed from the service or suffer such other punishment as a court-martial may direct. Any other person subject to military law who so offends shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

ART. 63. DISRESPECT TOWARD SUPERIOR OFFICER.--Any person subject to military law who behaves himself with disrespect toward his superior officer shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

His own statements were certainly at the least disrespectful and viewed by the court as contemptuous. Is there a need to be clearer? Note that Article 62 was specifically pointed at such conduct by officers. And Mitchell resigned his commission rather than face the punishment ordered by the court.

 

[Alan Stevens]

In the military, a commissioned officer publicly calling his superiors any of the following seperately:
A) Incompetant
B) Criminally Negligent
C) Almost Treasonable
will land that officer in hot water, combine all three and you can rest assured that there will be hell to pay from the top down.

But history proved him right, and his superiors wrong who were guilty of all 3.

Just like Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron regarding his superiors.

 

[GrauGeist]

But history proved him right, and his superiors wrong who were guilty of all 3.

Just like Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron regarding his superiors.

We see that now, over 90 years later...

 

[Alan Stevens]

We see that now, over 90 years later...

It was well enough known days afterward in the Navy.

Just kept hush-hush because Midway was a great victory and they didn't want to spoil it or taint it.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

But history proved him right, and his superiors wrong who were guilty of all 3.

I wasn't arguing the correctness or incorrectness of the court-martial. I was simply pointing out that the claim he was court-martialed for being right was incorrect.

The point you're making is irrelevant to the point I'm making, which renders your reply to my post not germane.

 

[Alan Stevens]

I wasn't arguing the correctness or incorrectness of the court-martial. I was simply pointing out that the claim he was court-martialed for being right was incorrect.

The point you're making is irrelevant to the point I'm making, which renders your reply to my post not germane.

Well, they wouldn't have court-martialed him if they knew was right in the present.

Well, they wouldn't have court-martialed him if they knew his beliefs on airpower would be proved correct in the 1940s.

 

[GrauGeist]

If they were able to look 20 years into the future, I'm sure that Mitchell would have been the least of their concerns...

 

[SaparotRob]

Yes they would have. Billy Mitchell knew the regulations. He would not have accepted such behavior from one of his subordinates.
I'm reminded of something President Truman said. "General MacArthur can keep Harry Truman waiting but he can't keep The President of the United States waiting."