The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-12

Smith. our naval attache at Paris and
St Petersburg, will study the moDlllza-
ton OF the Russian army on the Eu-
ropean side and perhaps accompany
troops across the Trans Siberian rail-
way.
All OF these observers will rank as
special military and naval attaches They
will wear their fatigue uniforms, and
will be required 10. leave of their swords
as a sign that they are non-conbatafts-
The military observers will be lent
horses by the Russian and japanese
commanders TO whose armies they are &C
credited. They will move in the field
as members OF these commanders STAINS,
will mess with them and VIII occupy
the same quarters. Technically, they
will be the guests of the car and mi
kado. who will detail the military and
naval commanders to entertain them
Should either of these soyere1gns take
the field in person, our observers would
form part of their suites. Our govern
ment will expect that they be insured
the protection which any guest may seek
at the hands of his host. They will
rub elbows with the men who now hold
the destiny OF the. orient in their hands.
ETIQUETTE TO BE OBSERVED.
For any of these observers to act the
part of spy would be breach OF mill
tary etiquette, than which none could
possibly be more serious. 1t cannot be
predicted what punishment would be
melted out to them, but II found prylng
into secrets such as all lighting nations
hold sacred-such as plans and torthca-
tions-they will Immediately become per-
soma non grata, and their recall from
the field will speedily follow. While
viewing battles and casually converslng
with their hosts they cannot give adj
vice of military nature without trans
crossing the teiets of international law
and committing a breach of neutrality
In the Russo-Ja Japanese war science VIII
play a heavier role than it has attempt
ed in any battle drama. Both belliger-
ents have been suspected all along of
having. somewhere hidden away, sur
prises terrible and bloody, to be sprung
at the opportune moment. Our mill
tary and naval observers have been de-
tailed for the express purpose of acqnalnt-
ing their respective intelligence bu-.
reaus in Washington with the newest
scientific, administrative and technical
Developments of the war. They will
note all novelties in small arms, ord
nance, gunsighting, uniforms, tents, ac-
coutrements, war balloons, field tele-
graph devices, signals, steering gear for
ships. turrets. searchlights, torpedoes,
submarine boats and what not. They
will report these to Washington. 1t is
of course understood that all of their
data must be gathered in an open and
legitimate manner. No American mill
tary or naval attache has yet been ac-
cused of corrupting foreign officials for
the purpose of securing government Sc
crets.
HAVE DIPLOMATIC RANK.
The special military and naval at
taches, like the regular attaches accred-
tied abroad in time of peace, are tech
nically attached to the mission of our
to Russia or minister to
Japan, according to which army or fleet
they will study. But neither Ambassa-
dor Mccormick nor Minister Griscom
will be responsible for them, as they
are for ordinary diplomatic attaches
forming a part of their suites. They
are detailed not by the Secretary of
State, but the Secretary of War or Navy,
and they receive their instructions di-
rectly from these departments. They
are attached to the embassy at St. Pet
ersburg or legation at Tokyo, only that
they may be endowed with the extra
territorial and diplomatic imnunities and
prerogatives extended to the stats of all
diplomatic missions abroad. They will
rank with the first secretaries whereas
diplomatic attaches are in a grade below
the most subordinate secretaries.
Should the war in the orient develop
into struggle greatly prolonged, it is
not unlikely that Lieutenant General
TIae 4
of the belligerents, on land or sea. Gen
eral Miles, it will be remembered, studied
the Graeco-T Turkish war from the Tur-
kish side. Should the commander of
our army or navy attempt such mis-
sion in the orient, he would undoubtedly
elect to observe from the side most like
ly to win. Engines of war and success
tul strategic movements can, of course,
be studied more effectively from the side
of the conqueror than from within the !
lines of the vanquished.
American officers have been detailed !
to study all great foreign wars of the |
past century. Scott viewed the occu-
patton of Paris by the allied troops, and |
the Duke of Wellington |
during their review Mcclellan and |
two other officers accompanied the allied |
armies at the siege of 'Sebastopol. Sher- |
1dan and Forsyth studied the Franco |
German war from the German side. Our
minister to Paris endeavored to gain |
permission for Sheridan to view the |,
French side, but the request was refused |
by the French minister of war 1t be- |
came known later, however, that Sheri- |
dan had picked the Germans as the win |
ners from the start, and that he never |
had intended joining the French. Dur
ing the Russo Turkish war Francis V. |
Greene (late police commissioner of /
New York; was our attache with the |
Russian army, Colonel Chambers OBJ |
serving on the Turkish side, while Gen
eral Hazen was dispatched to Constan-
tinople to be ready to accompany the
Austrians. in the event that they took a
hand in the struggle.
Two of the Orleans Princes were
guests OF the Army of the Potomac dur