General Pearson was held in great respect by the Army officers, and his judgment was not questioned. A vote was taken and it was unanimous.
General Pearson arose and said, "Colonel Gordon, by the authority and power vested in me, I now confer upon you the title of the Supreme Commander of the Armies of the United States and place upon your shoulders the greatest burden ever placed on any man. Our country's life hangs in the balance. The situation is desperate. Something must be done and done quickly. We must give an answer to the enemy, and when that answer is given, it either settles our doom forever or if we can win, means that the Stars and Stripes will ever stand supreme to the world. Sir, what have you to say?"
Supreme Commander Gordon arose. His face showed new responsibility which rested upon his shoulders. He said simply, "I thank you for the honor and confidence, but before completely accepting I want to ask if I may have the unanimous consent of the entire War Council to carry out my plans no matter how absurd they may seem to the War Council." The entire Council arose in a body and voted their unanimous consent. General Pearson then said, "Supreme Commander Robert Gordon, we await your orders." He saluted and sat down. Supreme Commander Gordon arose and said, "Dispatch immediately the following answer to the enemy's Headquarters."
"'The Government of the United States of America, the land of Liberty, refuses your terms and will never surrender or accede to any of your demands. You may strike as soon as you are ready. We have not yet begun to fight.'"
When he had finished speaking, there was not a whisper. He sat down and Colonel Walter Kennelworth arose and said: "Gentlemen of the War Council, you have heard Supreme Commander Gordon's answer to the enemy. You must know and realize that in hurling defiance like this at the enemy, there is something which gives him supreme confidence. He knows exactly what he has and what he is going to do, and you can rely upon him in this emergency." Colonel Kennelworth saluted his Supreme Commander Gordon and said, "I await your orders, Sir."
Supreme Commander Gordon said, "I appoint Colonel Walter Kennelworth as aide-de-camp in carrying out my plans. I appoint Captain Edna Kennelworth second aide and confer upon her the title of Colonel." He turned to the Council and there was not a dissenting voice.
When Supreme Commander Gordon had finished his appointments and gave his instructions to his officers, General Pearson arose and said, "Supreme Commander Gordon, I do not wish to in any way inquire into your plans or interfere with any course which you may pursue, you have my heartiest support, but if you don't mind, I should like to have you explain to me what the trouble has been in the past, why we have been out-classed and have lost the war thus far and what is now the remedy or what you propose to do."
Supreme Commander Gordon replied: "The trouble in the past has been that the enemy used noiseless airplanes. Our next great handicap was the fact that they could rise to heights to which we are unable to attain, giving them the advantage in the fighting. Of course, we have been hopelessly outnumbered from the start, by that I mean, in the amount of equipment. Another thing that we need and must have, which the enemy already has, is an airship that can be anchored and remain anchored in the air for an indefinite length of time. We need a ship that can take its power from the air, giving it an unlimited cruising radius. We need other ships for cruising purposes and scouters that can take their power from the air, not having to return to the base at any time for fuel or ammunition, working from a base in the air at all times. The next and most important thing we need is an invisible plane. An invisible, noiseless plane will be one of the things to beat the enemy. When our planes can travel high or low, no longer be seen or heard, we will be able to obtain information about the enemy's position and plans and thereby know their weak points, when and where to attack.
"The great mistake that the army officers have made from time to time was in not listening to the counsel of younger men. By this, I do not mean myself alone. My authority for this is taken from the Bible,—Prov. 20:18: 'Every purpose is established by counsel, and with good advice make war.' Prov. 24:6: 'For the wise counsel thou shalt make thy war, and in a multitude of counsellors there is safety.' There have not been enough counsellors and enough changes in plans at the proper time when the enemy was winning.
"My strength and power is in the Lord and I shall follow the rules laid down in the Bible in my future campaign. 2 Samuel 22:33: 'God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.' 1 Chronicles 5:22: 'For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God and they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.' This great War in the Air is according to the will of God and to fulfill the Scriptures and to work out God's plan for an eternal united kingdom of the world. You may wonder at my confidence and my defiance of the enemy at this time when it looks as if our chance for victory is absolutely impossible. I refer you to St. Luke 1:37: 'For with God nothing shall be impossible.' Again Luke 1:52: 'He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.' I believe that if it is the will of God for us to win he will give us the power to bring down the mighty who have tried to oppress and destroy this nation, the land of liberty.