Swiftly, spectacularly, the "fight for supremacy in the industry" (TIME, April 14 et seq.) was ended last week when United Aircraft & Transport Corp. wrung control of National Air Transport Inc. from the Curtiss-Keys group.
United's Frederick Brant Rentschler became president and board chairman of NAT, supplanting Earle Reynolds and Howard E. Coffin. Other old-guard directors surrendered their chairs to United men.
But the victors were not unscarred by battle, for their determination to amass a controlling majority of NAT stock sent the price soaring. During the first quarter of this...