AS A pioneer Army aviator, as the leader of the largest single air command in the history of military aviation, and as the first U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Carl Spaatz served his country with courage, honor, and ability and earned for himself a place in history.
No individual deserved more credit than General Spaatz for creating the proud, independent tradition of the U.S. Air Force and for building America's supremacy in the air.
Mrs. Nixon and I join with all our fellow citizens in extending our sympathy to his wife and family, and in mourning the passing of a great patriot and a great military leader.
Note: General Spaatz, 83, died in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 1974.
He was Air Force Chief of Staff from 1947 until his retirement in 1948.
The statement was released at San Clemente, Calif.
Richard Nixon, Statement About the Death of General Carl A. Spaatz Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256117