I don’t know why you repeatedly post this incorrect information. (It clearly comes from Wikipedia, which is not a scholarly resource.)

It is not historically accurate to say that the “National Munitions Control Board refused to lift the export ban.” The Germans never requested a waiver to the Helium Control Act before 1937, so there is no way to know if a waiver would, or would not, have been granted by the American government.

In addition, no re-engineering of Hindenburg was required or implemented in order to operate with hydrogen. Indeed, since hydrogen has more lift than helium, there is never any need to redesign a helium ship to operate with hydrogen. (A hydrogen ship would need to be modified to operate with the lower-lifting capacity of helium, but a helium ship can easily operate with hydrogen with no modifications.)

As an additional inaccuracy in your comment, helium exportation was not determined by the “National Munitions Control Board” (a group that included the Secretary of the Treasury) and the term “National Munitions Control Board” does not appear in the text of the “Helium Control Act.” Under Section 165 (50 USC §165) of the statute often referred to informally as the Helium Control Act: “No helium gas shall be exported from the United States until after application for such for such exportation has been made to the Secretary of Interior and permission for said exportation has been obtained from the President of the United States, on the joint recommendation of the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of Commerce.” A copy of the statute is available here:

https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/uscode/uscode1925-00105/uscode1925-001050010/uscode1925-001050010.pdf

As author and editor of Airships.net I take the presentation of accurate and scholarly information very seriously. Naturally, any blog will have inaccurate comments posted by users from time to time; since I cannot catch every such comment every time, as a courtesy to their fellow readers, I would simply ask users to refrain from posting comments based on non-scholarly sources such as Wikipedia. Thanks! Dan

Despite a U.S. ban on the export of helium under the Helium Control Act of 1927,[14] the Germans designed the airship to use the far safer gas in the belief that they could convince the U.S. government to license its export. When the designers learned that the National Munitions Control Board refused to lift the export ban, they were forced to re-engineer Hindenburg to use flammable hydrogen gas, which was the only alternative lighter-than-air gas that could provide sufficient lift.[11] One of the side benefits of being forced to utilize the flammable yet lighter hydrogen was that more passenger cabins could be added.

It is not historically accurate to say that “the US refused to sell helium to Germany” to inflate Hindenburg because the German’s never asked for helium. The Germans never requested a waiver to the Helium Control Act, so there is no way to know if a waiver would, or would not, have been granted by the American government.

Also, no re-design of Hindenburg was required or implemented; Hindenburg was built exactly as originally designed. Indeed, since hydrogen has so much more lift than helium, there would be no need to redesign a helium ship to operate with hydrogen. (A hydrogen ship would need to be modified in order to operate with the lower-lifting capacity of helium, but a helium ship can easily operate with hydrogen with no modifications.)

That’s incorrect, helium was still very scarce at that time and the US refused to sell helium to Germany. The Hindenburg was originally designed to utilize helium but when refused it, they had to redesign the Hindenburg, while in the construction process, to use hydrogen. And the rest is history.

Yes, it was 1936.

No, the Germans never asked for helium for Hindenburg; the Germans did not ask the U.S. government for helium until after the Hindenburg crash.

Would love to know more about your grandfather. Call me sometime. Thanks
David cell: 704-254-0859

Jack Chrysler flew on a different flight, a transatlantic crossing.

Jack F. Chrysler was on board the Hindenburg flight but Walter P. Chrysler declined the invitation . Is this correct ?