The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-26
InE FRENCH GUMS
PLANS WERE SOLD
orowins Scandal Over Some
American Spy Work
in France.

WASHINGTON, Nov. l5.-The publica-
uon Of story that an America, officer
"au secured the secret Of the new French
heio-plece has caused no end of trouble
oet"een officers at Army headquarters
ana at the Bureau of Ordnance.
IL Is believed that some ordnance officer
authorized the publication, in order TO
slnparrass a friend of General Miles, who
s., oeen detailed TO get Information in
Europe about held-guns. The new phase
OF the case now is that the affair was re-
Por.eu 10 Secretary Root, with a recon-
.ienuation Tor court OF inquiry to de-
.ermine whether courts-martial should
sOnow
Meanwhile a private inquiry is going on
~ "hu out who made the original allega-
IONS: The inquiry has developed the
s.artiing fact that foreign governments
are pretty well represented in Washing
'on by secret agents. There is reason to
Suspect that the French Government has
agents In both the War and Navy De-
Partments, and a number of clerks who
occupy positions of responsibility are I'M
1er suspicion as being in the employ of
European nations.
Inc TWO governments which are sup
posed TO have the best representation i'm
TINS respect in Washington are the
French and Russian. There are indica-
IONS That such agents send information
abroad regularly as soon as IL comes from
inside sources. 1t also developed today
that the Army Ordnance Department
some time ago made an effort to get pos
session OF the French secret. They wrote
the United States Military Attache at
Paris, IL Is said, who informed him that
II could not be procured for less than
slO.ooO. but>it was intimated that the Sc
cret was purchasable. 1t Is said, on the
other hand, that IL anything has been sold
Ut Is not the real secret, but something
palmed on on would-be purchasers who
visit Paris for the purpose of buying val
liable military information.
The entire matter. II Is declared, has
grown out of the fight over the disappear
ing gun. which was ended a month age
by the decision OF the Army Fortifications
Board against the gun-carriage. The
original fight was between Lieutenant
General Miles. and Brigadier General Buff
hngton. the chief Of the Ordnance Bureau
General Burlington was the inventor Of
the disappearing gun-carriage. Genera
Miles charged that the gun was useless
and there was long fight. which ended
In decision in favor of General Miles
contention.
on Sunday last II was made known tha
IAN agent of the War Department haC
secured plans of the new French field
gun. that he had offered to construct sucl
~ sun anu Nudl TIE ToINllltdNlOIS
had accepted his proposition.
Y No one would admit having made thes'
statements, but the next day II was init
mated that the agent" who had secure,
the plans was not the American Miltar!
Attache at Paris. but was Captain Lewis
the Secretary of the Fortifications Board
General Miles chief supporter in th'
fight over the disappearing guns.
AMBASSADOR PORTER INVOLVED.
D NEW trh n
the Herald from Paris says:
[ The following extraordinary statemen
IL given prominence i'm La Presse.
I "A parsonage who claims to be thor
Ioughly acquainted with what is going oil
behind the scenes I'm the matter of tn,
Idivulgence of the secrets of the lates
Preach field gun to the United States
makes the following statement:
+" This affair is connected with the sud
den departure for Gibraltar of an office
of the United states Navy. who was EN-
Iployed In the foreign section of the exhi
bition. after hayirtg fuldlled his function
as Naval Attache at the Embassy. Tn
feld-gun incident was also the cause o
he sudden handing over of the affairs o
the Embassy TO the first secretary by Gen
eral Horace Porter and his departure 70
Spain
1.-The former Naval Attache in ques
ton, who was born of British parents
and devoted above all to the Embassy OF
the Faubourg Saint Honore, acted almos
openly as spy for several powers
The departure of General Horace Por
ter. which Is given out as temporary, 4
really final and he Will be replaced il
Paris by Mr.. John Leishman, Unite'
states Minister to Berne. a diplomats
OF the highest character, whose independ
ence vis-a-vis the English Embassy cal
be counted upon for maintenance of goo
relations between the French republic an
the United States"