Taking Off: the Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2011 Taking Off: The Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939 McMillan Houston Johnson V Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Cultural History Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, McMillan Houston V, "Taking Off: The Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2011. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/986 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by McMillan Houston Johnson V entitled "Taking Off: The Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. G. Kurt Piehler, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Ernest Freeberg, Denise Phillips, Mark Littmann Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by McMillan Houston Johnson V entitled “Taking Off: The Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in History. G. Kurt Piehler, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Ernest Freeberg______ Denise Phillips______ Mark Littmann______ Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Taking Off: The Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939 A Dissertation Presented for The Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville McMillan Houston Johnson V May 2011 Copyright © 2011 by McMillan Houston Johnson V All rights reserved. ii Acknowledgements A number of individuals were instrumental in helping me complete this dissertation. First and foremost, Dr. Kurt Piehler, whose guidance and support have been invaluable in furthering my professional development and in the research, writing, and editing of this project. I would also like to thank the members of my committee: Dr. Ernest Freeberg, Dr. Denise Phillips, and Dr. Mark Littmann. Additionally, my family has lent me both emotional and practical support for the duration of my efforts. In particular, my mother, Marcy Johnson, and my wife, Kachina, provided indispensible editorial help. I would also like to thank the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Pan American Historical Foundation, University of Tennessee, and University of Tennessee History Department for their generosity in support of my research. Finally, it goes without saying that any errors or omissions contained in this work are solely the responsibility of the author. iii Abstract Historians have traditionally emphasized the sharp differences between Herbert Hoover’s vision of an associational state and the activism of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. This dissertation highlights an important area of continuity between the economic policies espoused by Hoover—during his tenures as Secretary of Commerce and President—and Roosevelt, focusing on federal efforts to promote the nascent aviation industry from the end of World War I until the passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act in 1938. These efforts were successful, and offer a unique arena in which to document the concrete gains wrought by Hoover’s associationalist ideology and Roosevelt’s New Deal. Moreover, both Hoover’s corporatist policies and New Deal efforts to create aviation infrastructure—largely through the auspices of public works agencies like the Public Works Administration and Works Progress Administration—form a striking example of the government’s ability to successfully foster the development of a new industry, even in the midst of the Great Depression. Significantly, both men’s efforts represented an alternative to nationalization, the path taken by virtually every European nation during the era. This period thus offers the opportunity to examine how both presidents’ aviation policies cohere with their larger visions of government’s proper relationship to the economy, to compare and contrast associationalism and New Deal, and to elucidate aviation’s role in promoting American economic development. During these years government actions expanded from having literally no engagement with commercial aviation to subsidizing airmail routes, creating a regulatory infrastructure to promote safe operations by licensing pilots, inspecting aircraft, approving manufacturing operations, and aggressively promoting flying to the American people. Contextualized by the American public’s well-documented enthusiasm for flying—particularly after Charles Lindbergh’s famous New York- to-Paris flight in 1927—these federal actions created America’s modern air transport network, culminating in the passage of the seminal Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the construction and improvement of almost a thousand airports around the country, and the growth of a core group of airlines, including United, Delta, and American, that still dominate commercial flying today. ii Table of Contents Chapter 1—Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2—Herbert Hoover and the Origins of American Aviation Policy..................... 40 Chapter 3—Brown and Black: Shades of Gray................................................................ 99 Chapter 4—A New Deal for Aviation?: Franklin Roosevelt and American Aviation Policy .............................................................................................................................. 146 Chapter 5—Laying Foundations: New Deal Public Works and Aviation Infrastructure199 Chapter 6—Conclusion................................................................................................... 245 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 280 Vita.................................................................................................................................. 293 iii iv Chapter 1—Introduction Between the world wars, American aeronautics experienced a radical transformation. These years witnessed the most dynamic developmental period in the nation’s aeronautical history, a period that saw aviation grow from infancy to maturation in less than 20 years. In the years immediately following the Great War the lone barnstormer represented the exemplar of American aeronautics, flying from town to town and offering rides to locals, many of whom had never before seen an airplane. By the eve of the Second World War, however, Americans could take advantage of the world’s most extensive air transport network, travel coast-to-coast in less than 24 hours in safety and relative comfort, and arrive and depart from airports much like those we frequent today. The rapidity of that development speaks to the comprehensive manner in which Americans embraced aviation. According to historian Joseph Corn, this was the period during which Americans became truly “air-minded,” that is, “having enthusiasm for airplanes, believing in their potential to better human life, and supporting aviation development.” 1 Commentators often refer to this period as the “Golden Age of Flight,” an allusion to the romance and achievement of the era. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the foremost custodian of American aeronautical history, highlights this period with its own gallery. Its introductory placard suggests that we remember this period as being “golden,” because “of the many advances in aviation technology, the many record flights, and the intense interest of the public in aviation events.” 2 Each of those elements speaks to the depth of American engagement with aeronautical development. During the interwar period planes transformed from fabric-covered biplanes that 1 Joseph Corn, The Winged Gospel: America’s Romance with Aviation, 1900-1950 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1983), 12. 2 “Introductory Panel,” “Golden Age of Flight” Gallery, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. 1 struggled to reach 100 miles per hour to sleek, low-winged metal monoplanes with enclosed cockpits and retractable landing gear able to travel more than four times that speed. These years witnessed the invention of engine cowlings, instrument flight, wing de-icing equipment, air traffic control, airmail, and widespread commercial passenger service. At the same time aerial heroes like Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and Wiley Post rose