National Air and Space Museum Archives

William Mitchell Trial Scrapbooks

Summary

Collection ID:
NASM.1992.0013
Creators:
Webb, William
Dates:
1925-1926
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
.51 Cubic feet
1 flatbox
Repository:
Colonel William Lendrum "Billy" Mitchell (1879-1936) of the U.S. Army Air Service, a leading proponent of air power, was court-martialed for insubordination in October – December 1925 after publically criticizing the Navy and War Departments. This collection consists of two scrapbooks of material relating to the court-martial by William Webb, a member of Mitchell's defense team.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection was created by William Webb, a member of Colonel William L. "Billy" Mitchell's the defense team for his 1925 court-martial. The collection consists of two scrapbooks containingcontain photographs of Mitchell, Mitchell's family, the defense team, and witnesses; newspaper articles on the trial; and courtroom sketches.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection consists of one flatbox containing two scrapbooks; the contents were arranged by the donor.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
An active participant in American military aviation since its beginnings, Colonel William L. "Billy" Mitchell (1879-1936) was closely involved in shaping air policy and air defense strategy in the 1920s. Mitchell publically criticized the Navy and War Departments in the wake of the crash of the U.S. Navy rigid airship "Shenandoah" on September 3, 1925. His actions resulted in a court-martial held from October – December 1925 for insubordination and "Conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the military service." Mitchell was found guilty and was sentenced to "Suspension from rank, command, and duty with forfeiture of all pay and allowances for five years." Mitchell resigned from the Army on February 1, 1926. He remained a public voice for air power until his death on February 19, 1936. In 2003, Congress voted to posthumously commission William L. Mitchell as a major general in the Army.

Administration

Author
Allan Janus
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Mrs. William Webb, Gift, 1991, NASM.1992.0013
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Allan Janus, 2018.

Digital Content

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Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Preferred Citation
William Mitchell Trial Scrapbooks, Acc. 1992.0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Bombing, Aerial Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Courts-martial and courts of inquiry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Air pilots Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aeronautics, Military Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Air defenses -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mitchell, William, 1879-1936 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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