tion, he was on the Board of Trustees for the Air Force
Historical Foundation. Never once did Kuter dispute the
story, even though he had plenty of opportunity to do so.
Seversky had everything to lose and nothing to gain if the
story were proved false. Yet during his entire career, he
never once wavered from the story—nor was he, or the
story, ever challenged.
Seversky and Disney were not the only individuals to
tell of the film’s glorious victory in Quebec. The story sur-
faces in the 1960 book Taken at the Flood: The Story of Al-
bert D. Lasker by John Gunther. Lasker was an advertising
executive so taken with the theories espoused in the book
that he assisted Disney and Seversky in publicizing the
film. This reference at least might be considered an inde-
pendent source void of any Disney touch. Gunther writes:Several times Lasker tried to arrange a meeting
between Roosevelt and Seversky, or at the least
have Victory Through Air Power shown at the White
House; he failed, largely because Admiral Leahy,who thought that Seversky was a crackpot, was now
F.D.R.’s watchdog on such matters. Meantime, the
film received wide attention in theaters in England.
Lasker, through a British friend, got a print to Win-
ston Churchill, and the Prime Minister was much im-
pressed by it.
Came the Quebec Conference between Roosevelt
and Churchill in the summer of 1943, critical military
decisions, preparatory to the invasion of Europe the
next year had to be made, but the conference was
deadlocked. F.D.R. and General Marshall wanted to
set a definite date for the operation, but Churchill,
the RAF, and General Arnold felt that this should
not be done until certain conditions were met, such
as undisputed command of the air over the English
Channel. In an effort to break through this impasse
Churchill asked Roosevelt if he had ever seen Vic-
tory Through Air Power. F.D.R. said No, and a print
was flown by fighter plane from New York to Que-
bec; the President and Prime Minister saw it togetherGeneral of the Air Force ”Hap” Arnold General Laurence S. KuterARTIST AND AVIATORtion,hewasontheBoardofTrusteesfortheAirForce
HistoricalFoundation.NeveroncedidKuterdisputethe
story,eventhoughhehadplentyofopportunitytodoso.
Severskyhadeverythingtoloseandnothingtogainif the
storywereprovedfalse.Yetduringhisentirecareer,he
neveroncewaveredfromthestory—norwashe,orthe
story,everchallenged.
SeverskyandDisneywerenottheonlyindividualsto
tellofthefilm’sgloriousvictoryinQuebec.Thestorysur-
facesinthe 1960 bookTakenattheFlood:TheStoryofAl-
bertD.LaskerbyJohnGunther.Laskerwasanadvertising
executivesotakenwiththetheoriesespousedinthebook
that heassistedDisney andSeverskyinpublicizingthe
film.Thisreferenceatleastmightbeconsideredaninde-
pendentsourcevoidofanyDisneytouch.Guntherwrites:
Several times Lasker tried to arrange a meeting
between Roosevelt and Seversky, or at the least
have Victory Through Air Power shown at the White
House; he failed, largely because Admiral Leahy,who thought that Seversky was a crackpot, was now
F.D.R.’s watchdog on such matters. Meantime, the
film received wide attention in theaters in England.
Lasker, through a British friend, got a print to Win-
ston Churchill, and the Prime Minister was much im-
pressedbyit.
Came the Quebec Conference between Roosevelt
and Churchill in the summer of 1943, critical military
decisions, preparatory to the invasion of Europe the
next year had to be made, but the conference was
deadlocked. F.D.R. and General Marshall wanted to
set a definite date for the operation, but Churchill,
the RAF, and General Arnold felt that this should
not be done until certain conditions were met, such
as undisputed command of the air over the English
Channel. In an effort to break through this impasse
Churchill asked Roosevelt if he had ever seen Vic-
tory Through Air Power. F.D.R. said No, and a print
was flown by fighter plane from New York to Que-
bec; the President and Prime Minister saw it togetherGeneral of the Air Force ”Hap” Arnold General Laurence S. KuterARTIST AND AVIATOR