General Explains Aircraft Use to Marine Investigator

Brig. Gen. Wayne T. Adams, commander of the Marine Corps’ western air bases, met with the Marine inspector general at the Pentagon on Wednesday to explain his use of base planes and will meet with him again today as the investigation into his conduct continues.

The general, based at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, flew to Washington on Tuesday, but officials have not set any time limit for the duration of his meetings with Maj. Gen. Hollis Davison, the inspector general of the Marine Corps.

“We’ll leave it open-ended,” said Col. Jim Williams, the deputy inspector general.

Williams would not discuss the agenda for the meetings, except to say: “Gen. Adams is here and he’s meeting with Gen. Davison again (today). . . . The purpose of the interview is to carry out the inspector general’s investigation into the allegations against Gen. Adams.”

The Marine Corps opened its investigation last month after The Times reported that Adams had taken at least five flights in the past several years that raise questions about his mix of personal and business travel, even as he was disciplining two top aides for suspected misuse of aircraft. One of the aides later killed himself while an investigation was under way.

Adams’ flights included a side trip to Florida during which he signed a divorce decree en route to a military convention in Virginia, a round-trip ride between Big Bear and El Toro during a combined inspection and vacation with his fiancee and a flight to Washington state during which he met with his fiancee, who was then living in the area.

The general has defended his use of base planes, saying most of his trips were needed to get in required “flight time” and that all came in the course of official business.

Capt. Betsy Sweatt, spokeswoman for the El Toro base, would not comment on any aspect of the ongoing discussions at the Pentagon.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss it,” she said.

But the meeting was a topic of conversation on the base throughout the day, several at El Toro said. “Everyone’s very interested to see what’s going to happen on this,” said one official.

This is Gen. Davison’s second investigation this year into alleged plane misuse at El Toro.

The general and his team of investigators looked into allegations in January surrounding Col. Joseph Underwood, then chief of staff at El Toro, and Col. James Sabow, an assistant chief of staff who killed himself during the investigation. Adams suspended each of the colonels almost immediately after Davison had met with them to discuss the allegations.

With Adams now at that same point in his own investigation, Col. Williams said it is not certain how his case will be handled by Marine Corps commanders.

In general, Williams said, “if allegations are made, somewhere in the process (of the investigation) . . . a commanding officer can make a determination that a person is no longer capable of carrying out his duties . . . and that person can be relieved of his duties. . . . But there is no formula for it. There are no set regulations that I’m aware of.”

A Marine attorney who requested anonymity said that normally, “if you have this cloud over (an officer’s) head, it would be standard procedure to remove the officer” pending the outcome of the investigation, as was done with Sabow and Underwood.

“But when you’re talking about a general, at that level, there is no routine,” he added. “It’s just a unique situation.”