Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-28
DIPLOMATIC SECRETS
Transactions of the British Are
 Carefully Guarded.
Messages to Representatives in For- AIga Countries Are Transmitted
 am Cipher Messengers Closely Guarded.

It says much for the integrity Of government officials that all knowl- with Japan was successfully withheld from foreign nations until the compact had been actually sealed, but the great care exercised in guarding diplomat ic secret renders a premature an pouncement very rare indeed. No gov ernment secret when first born IS ever committed to paper, except on the rare occasions when minutes of cabinet meeting are taken and forwarded to the sovereign. As rule, our minis ters meet and transact business with out anyone being the wiser, for no official of any kind is allowed to be present, says London Tit-Bits.
 Once the government has decided upon an important piece of foreign policy, it has to be transmitted to our representative abroad, and for the first time the secret is put in writing in the form of unintelligible cipher, the key to which is already in the hands of our ambassador. The men who draw up these intricate cipher codes are reliable officials specially employed by the government, and they often obtain from $ 500 to Z TOO for single code. The dispatch having been prepared, it is given into the care of kings messenger, who wears att tached to his person bag fitted with a secret lock. To this lock there are only two keys; one in the possession of the foreign office and the other re- tained by our ambassador, who must unlock the bag himself or instruct his secretary to do so upon the messen- gers arrival.
 The journey between this country and abroad is a risky one, because the messenger is beset with spies, and, al- though he travels incognito and well armed, there is always the chance of his being set upon and robbed. To avoid this, when an important dis patch is being carried, he is shadowed by two-detectives throughout the jour- ney, so that they can instantly come to his assistance if necessary.
 When travelling by rail he engages special compartment, and if called upon to do so he will have to lose his life before sacrificing the dispatch. In return he receives salary of e400 a year, in addition to a day when travelling and all expenses found, but before being> employed he has to be nominated by an official filling an inn portant position under government who will hold himself responsible for his being a reliable messenger and not a foreign agent. Sometimes, to avoid danger, the courier carries with him the special sanction of international law, whereby every country through which he passes becomes responsible for his safety.
 On arrival, the messenger goes to the embassy and hands over the bag either to the ambassador personally or his secretary, who has had verbal orders from his chief to receive it, no written instructions being accepted as genuine, nor must the bag be given to anyone holding an inferior post to that of confidential secretary. In every embassy there is a strong room, wherein despatches are stored in an enormous safe, the key of which is held only by the ambassador and no one but himself is permitted to enter the chamber. Every night two watchmen remain outside the door with loaded revolvers, having orders to shoot down any marauder.
 Obviously great care has to be taken that no information shall leak out from the officials themselves, and with the exception of Britain and Italy no European nation will permit any mem Der of an embassy to marry woman of the country in which they are em- ployed. Even the ambassadors them selves are bound by the same rule, and some years ago, when Germany's rep resentative in London, Prince Henry of Pless, wished to marry Miss Corn wallis West. he had to surrender his position before being able to do so.