Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-12-20
..SPlES IN TIMES OF PEACE.
How Nations Deal With Men Caught
...... Prying Into State Secrets ...."

to the islands for the very limited sup
! ply on hand at army headquarters.
An apt illustration of the difference
between the United States and the
European nations in this particular
occurred in Gibraltar only short time
ago. England, some years since,
adopted a policy Of mottling her light
artillery with daubs OF paint or va
rious colors that were likely to enter
i~,to the backgrounds nature would
provide in the field. An American
interested in such things happened 20
be walking along Europa Point at Gil
braltar and saw, about $50 feet from
him and toward the beach, what ap-
nesred to be a water battery OF guns
of the S-inch class, the only one "l
which visible showed nothing very
nlainIy. He did not know the process
had been extended to coast -defense
batteries and wished to examine TINS
work merely from curiosity. He nau
advanced a few PAGES from the roao
for this purpose, when no less tnali
three guards came forward 10 war,
him away. 1t might be mentioned
that this one gun and the big rifle
mounted at the peak Of the rock were
the only pieces Of modern ordnance OF
the saluting battery this American
saw during a stay Of ten days at the
English stronghold.
Returning to the United States, he
was much surprised to fnd IN toWns
near coast-defense fortifications, not
only uninterrupted passage through
out the fortified works, but picture
post cards on sale at drug stores ana
news stands that showed photographs
Of the batteries just as they stand tne
interior Of range-finding stations, de-
tailed views Of big guns and shelis
showing the ranges, size Of charge ana
nuantity of explosive used. Not alone
was the free distribution Of informa-
ton countenanced. but in an article
on modern coast defense published IN
an American semi-technical paper
with an international circulation. IL.
Illustrations were given outlining In fuil
the plans of defense of American forts
with accurate drawings showing the
ranges of the guns, the danger zone
for ships, the method OF signaling
the manner Of plotting ranges. with
descriptions of the instruments useo
and a complete plan of the system Tor
exchanging signals from the pattie
commander to the battery commander
and from this latter to the gun cap
tains.
The United States does have few
secrets There are plans Of imag1n-
ary campaigns, figures relating to tar
get practice with great guns. draw
ings of the sea coast fortiflcations and
mine fields. and the plans and forti-
fications Of other countries carefully
put away in the vaults OF the war
college and the various special SER
vice schools. But compared with 9TH
er countries there Is little or nothing
to be learned in the United States.
The greatest difficulty in the con-
slant warfare that is waged here on
spies is not encountered in wardlng
off the agents Of Japan, however.
There are at least two other natlons
that have a far more complicated Sc
cret service and one that is much more
difficult to Illustrate than Japan. These
are Germany and France. While the
Japanese have a certain native ca
pacity for spying, that enhances their
value to their country, they learned
from their German military instruc-
tors most of what they know of the
elementary principles or gettlns
guarded information without the
knowledge and consent Of the guar
dians. The Japanese spy is the easiest
to detect for the reason that he Is al
most always Japanese, different IN
race and, only in rare instances as
sociating as a social equal with the
people upon whom he lavishes his
arts. 1t is not so great task to pre-
vent a Japanese from obtaining Sc
crets.
On the other hand. it is exceeding
ly difficult to prevent the well-edu-
Gated, cultured German, French or
English spy from working his trade.
One may be found as an enlisted SOL
dier or sailor in the army or navy, or
he may be employed by officers en-
trusted with the country's secrets in
more o rless intimate capacity. 1t Is al
most impossible to guard against such
eventualities, and in all sections Of the
United States there are men employed
today in various capacities who are In
secret correspondence with the foreign
governmentS-men whose nationality
Is never suspected and whose loyalty
Is never questioned.
A military expert has said that for
one Japanese spy found gathering in
formation in the United States there
are ten that manage to avoid discoV-
cry. He further states that for every
japanese who remains undiscovered
ln6T6 are l"o NSl 1SeS
sian, Italian, Mexican or Austrian Sc
cret agents at work here. Further
more. it is related, so little esteem Is
placed upon the ability necessary to
wiring from America her military Sc
crets that this country has become
sort of primary school for these gen.
tlemen, and the real experts, the past
masters in the art. are engaged in
those countries Of Europe where the
game Is larger and the risks greater,
where detection means degradation
and Imprisonment. From this 1t can be
gathered that the real experts Of ia
pan are not wasting their time on
the United States. but are going after
bigger and more difficult tasks, while
the work here is left to aspiring anna
teurs. a system all the great powers
have found to work with charming
effectiveneSs.-Popu Mechanics.