Mr. Robert A. Davis
Vice President
Engineering and Technology
THE BOEING COMPANY
P. O. Box 3707, MS 13-35
SEATTLE, WA 98124-2207

Dear Mr. Davis,

I find it interesting that my appeal to Mr. Shrontz, as a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, is responded to by Boeing's Vice President of Engineering and Technology.

Your apparent approval of the Smithsonian omissions, misrepresentation and gutter journalism, regarding its treatment of Burnelli history, reflects the symbionic relationship between Boeing and the Smithsonian Institution. It also serves to confirm my previous allegation that the Smithsonian is a propaganda tool of the military-industrial complex.

Your meandering, philosophical path is fraught with immoral potholes. Such reasoning could well end in a cul-de-sac of intellectual fraud and ethical improprieties. Example: Boeing never sought nor received from Burnelli approval to use Burnelli patent, proprietary and intellectual property rights of the Burnelli breakaway leading edge in combination with high lift flaps. Example: Boeing refused to honor Burnelli Lifting Body patent, proprietary and intellectual property rights in the Boeing 754 project and, in fact, cancelled the project when the Burnelli Company requested Boeing to be honorable. Further Examples: Grumman did not honor Burnelli Lifting Body rights in their F-14; McDonnell Douglas refused to honor Burnelli Lifting Body rights which they misappropriated in their F-15; Northrop/Boeing have not honored Burnelli Lifting Body rights in their B-2; Lockheed/Boeing refused to honor Burnelli Lifting Body rights in the F-22 project, etc...

"Convergent evolution" is totally irrelevant, since Mr. Burnelli reduced the Lifting Body configuration to practice in 1921, and his subsequent Lifting Body developments are all a matter of record. It is also a matter of record that the military-industrial complex prevented the Burnelli Company from building its superior Lifting Body aircraft in free enterprise competition. The enclosed copy of my letter to the Secretary of Defense, dated December 2, 1994, will enable you to place the Burnelli conspiracy into proper perspective.

Your use of the term "controversy" is incorrect. The proper term is conspiracy. The enclosed BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL AVIATION article of March 1985 by George C. Larson, presently Editor of AIR & SPACE, acknowledges that Mr. Burnelli was the first in the Lifting Body field. It was written before Mr. Larson became contaminated by the Smithsonian political correctness.

It is my belief that Mr. Shrontz, as a Smithsonian Regent, has every right and a duty to interfere with Smithsonian editors when they misrepresent and falsify America's aeronautical heritage. However, it is quite clear that Mr. ntz, who is also a key person in the military-industrial complex, is faced with a serious conflict of interest in the Burnelli matter. Therefore, I question Mr. Shrontz's presence on the Smithsonian Board of Regents.

I do not think the traveling public gives a hoot about your dolphin/fish story. It is, however, very concerned about the causes of most air crash fatalities, i.e. uncrashworthy fuselages and the irresponsible practice of hanging engines and landing gear onto fuel tank supporting structure and installing fuel tanks under passenger seats, in combination with excessively high take-off and landing speeds on over-stressed tires.

Following your suggestion, by a copy of this letter, I am asking Walter Boyne to give me an explanation as to why he did not include Mr. Burnelli and his airplanes in the SMITHSONIAN BOOK OF FLIGHT.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

[signature]

CHALMERS H. GOODLIN
Chairman & President