"US Air Services" Magazine, March, 1928:

I have sent our [ ] machine [overseas] because of the hostile and unfair attitude shown towards us by the officials of the Smithsonian Institution. [ ] The Institution began a subtle campaign to take from us much of the credit [ ] and to bring this credit to its former secretary, Professor Langley. Through some clever and some absolutely false statements it succeeded in doing this with people who were not acquainted with the facts.

To illustrate the kind of thing to which I object in the attitude of the Smithsonian, I will cite out of many a few specific cases:
- It misrepresented in the Annual Report of the Secretary for the year 1910 [ ] by inserting a quotation not used by him on that occasion, but used in a different connection at another time. The improper use of this quotation created a false impression over the world. [ ]  
- Our original [ ] machine was offered in 1910 to the Smithsonian for exhibition in the National Museum. The officials did not want it, but preferred a much older model of less historic interest. [ ]

- It published false and misleading reports of Curtiss' tests of [Langley's] machine at Hammondsport, leading people to believe that the original Langley machine, which had failed to fly in 1903, had been flown. [ ] This machine [ ] was placed in the National Museum with a false label, saying that it was the first man-carrying aeroplane in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight, and that it had been successfully flown [ ]. Following the controversy on this subject [ ] the old label was removed and a new one still containing false and misleading  statements was put in its stead.

In spite of this long-continued campaign of detraction, for years I kept silent, with the thought that anyone investigating would find the facts and would expose them. I had thought that truth eventually must prevail, but I have found silent truth cannot withstand error aided by continued propaganda.

I have endeavored to have these matters investigated within the Smithsonian itself. I wrote to the Chancellor of the Institution asking for an investigation of the acts of its Secretary in this matter, and received an answer that while the Chancellor nominally was the head of the board of the Smithsonian Institution, his other duties were such as to make it impossible for him to give any real attention to the questions which have to be settled by the Secretary. I have publicly expressed the wish that some national scientific society or other disinterested body make an impartial investigation of my charges against the Smithsonian. To this there has been no response.

                                                                                                                        ... 

                                                                                                                                                 by Orville Wright