'Air Service Presents

'Air Service Presents--'

From Washington came reports carrying supposedly authentic details of a lofty drama which the Army Air Service is planning to present late in August or early in September (TIME, July 23).

The scene: 50 fathoms of water, 22 miles off Cape Hatteras.

The actors: Two Victims, the Virginia and New Jersey (battleships to be scrapped under the Limitation of Armaments Treaty), twelve killers (Martin bombing aeroplanes, each equipped with two 400-h.p. Liberty motors).

The plot: The two victims will be towed from Boston in the latter part of August. They will be anchored off Cape Hatteras at the killers' mercy. (There are not sufficient funds for operating them under wireless control.) From a temporary airdrome on Hatteras, conveniently close to the scene of action, the twelve killers will go out to attack their victims. One will be sunk with 1,100-pound bombs, the other with 2,000-pound bombs. The mysterious weapon, the new 4,000-pound bomb will not--contrary to first reports--be used at this time. The attackers will have complete control of the air and will bomb from various heights above 6,000 feet. Two of the bombers have been equipped with chemical apparatus to lay down smoke screens, so that the attackers may try the experiment of hiding in the smoke and choosing their own height for bombing. The critics will gather data on the accuracy and effectiveness of different bombs at various heights--until the two old battleships sleep, 20 miles off Hatteras and 50 fathoms deep.