The Washington times., 1909-12-30
British and Germans Care
fully Guard All Plans of
Construction.
AMERICAN GUNS
MADE IN PUBLIC
Press May Be Asked to Join in
Campaign for Suppression
OF News.
BY ]. c. wELLIvER.


Navy people who have had 20 do with
service iu foreign parts, and army men
who are familiar with the methods by
which foreign governments keep their
military and naval secrets. have been
INDUCING some unfavOrable comment Of
late on the publicity which has attended
the construction and trials OF the new
fourteen-inch gun by this Government.
They say there is not another naval
power in the world that would have
permitted that gun to be built, as Il
were, under the eyes OF the whole world
The very decision TO build II would have
been kept a dense secret. Nobody would
have known Of the plans for II, the
method of construction would have been
guarded carefully. and il IT proved,
on trial. 2 sue. css. there would have
been an order for a battery Of dupli-
cstes. and they would probably have
been built and mounted on a battle
ship before the world would have
known that any such suprameIy power
ful vessel was in CO 1tcmplation
But the American military and naval
methods do not lend themselves to Sc
erecy, and as a result the naval pow
ers know, thus far, almost as much
about tho new gun as Americans do. 1t
Is being watched with the keenest inter
est BY the naval attaches of the various
naval countries. and duly and regularly
reported upon TO their naval superiors.
Secrecy In England.
The contrast between foreign and
American methods IN This regard was
illustrated by an incident which re
Gently took place at tho Army and
Navy club \ navy officer was telling
British navy.
Everybody recoIects," he said. that
when the British started 10 build the
hrst preadnought they took nobody into
their confidence The monster, which
marked new era In naval constr1Ic-
ION, was actually launched and well
toward completion before the rest Of the
world was allowed 10 know that such
an innovation had been undertaken.
heard about how they did II. Iator
on II proved 10 be a fact that e,-en
the French and Germans. like our-
selves. we're taken entirely by srrprisa
when II became known that a Dread
nouSht had been built. and a most
serious surprise 10 proved
Now here IS the wav tbe,. did g..
When the admiralty decided tn b,,iIJ
suCn vessel, II was realized that II
coClo not possibly be done in seC,,ef
',I,a1u INC cooperation Of the news
bapAIs 80 the admiralty offfrfo1c
called in the newspapermcn right in ~
'eIllulhE' and told them ali the facts.
Newspapers In the Secret.
we arc going to build this vessel
they said, and 1t might as well never
nc started II the fact gets TO other GOV
ernments and they start on a like nro-
gram at the same time We are AZ the
mercy of the press. IT II VII keen tha
secret for as, we can do the rest
me newspapers pledged Themselves
70 observe the confidence, Just as Amer [
icsn newspa pers would do in like cir
ournstances if necessary: ana Inc
Dreadnousht proved one OF the biggest /
surprises ever sprung IN the naval /!
world
Later the English had occasion To do 4
the same thing again. when they under
took the construction Of the two battle /
ship-cruisers that were recently launch I
ed These are probably the most useful I
naval vessels IN The world. because OF 1
their combination Of power. speed. arm |
ament, and brOadsids. They put those I
ships in the water and placed their /
armaments on them before the rest Of 1
the world knew what was doing
1t IS commonly supposed that the Jap
anese originated and perfected the sys-
tenn Of utter secrecy about military and /
naval secrets. But in fact. according TO /
the military people. the Germans and /
English keep their secrets quite as well /
- do the japanese. and have been doing /
IL for a long time
German Program Guarded.
Nobody knows certainly The present /
stage Of The German naval program. (
The inside facts about All such mat
ters are guarded with the greatest care /
and success. The United States has
rever been impressed with the impor- /
,ance Of keeping such ma tiers secret,
except during actual war. The lntelli-
Eence business was highly developed
during the Spanish war. but Il proved
utterly impossible 20 keAp secrets be
cause there was no method Of effective
cooperation between the military ad-
nninistratjou and the newspapers.
The newspapers, being In nobOdy's
confidence. were out 20 get all the news
they could. & correspondent might be
printing IN the utmost innocence, with
no appreciation OF its real significance.
the bit Of Information which would be
or tho greatest value TO the enemy
These difficulties have Ted 10 grave
consideration ~ efforts for Improvements |
a scheme under which tho publication
~ valuable military scrCetS can be pre-
vented. The authorities have no doubt
Of the cooperation Of the press. but
the system remains 20 be devised and
put al work"
MITCETTM ODEN