The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-29
PLANS OF GERMANY AND JAPAN
TO INVADE THE UNITED STATES
Facts Upon Which COL Roosevelt Statement
(eman Schemes of Attack Contemplate Landing Of Forces
on Long island. apans Plan of Invasion

.u,r.ns our standing army too small
To- he dangerous" So said COT Thco-
dorc Roosevelt less than month ago.
Some persons promptly declared tiis
statement to lack foundation In fact.
II Is, however. uupucsiiuuably true that
col. Roosevelt did see such plans. and
he was probably informed at the same
time Of the inadequate arrangements
which the American strategic experts
had prepared for just such contin-
geacies. What does the public imagin,
has been the object OF certain combined
maneuvres carried out Jointly by the
army and the navy in recent years?
American naval and military attaches
have gathered at foreign capitals sug-
ges,ive material for the officers at the
army and navy war colleges, and the
defensive problems set for the manGu-
vres have had their inspiration in the
secrets thus obtained abroad Col.
Roosevelt as President had ample op-
portunity' tn study these plans. Fur
thermorc, 1t is a fact that AZ least one
rarefully studied project Cor an invasion
~ the United States has been made
public
All too accurately to he purely
speculative prophecy. Gen. Friedrich
Won Bernhard foretold the present con-
f!ct II l. reasonable to assume that he
lad access To the wealth OF material
filed away in the archives Of the General
staff Of the German army. But he ia
not the only member Of that wonderful
organization that has put his official
studies within the reach Of the general
public. Another officer Of the German
General StaT has revealed something
OF the nations purpose, and in the lat
ter case the United states has been par
ticularly dealt with as possible field
" attack.
Unfortunately. German technical
pamphlets ara not as widely read In
this country as they should be, and this
10 particularly the case with those deal
inG with naval and military topics. A
few years ago Capt. Won Edelsheim n
me German General stan prepared
brochure entitled "Operationen Ueber
See" 1t had not a wide circulation. but
for both England and the United States
there was plenty Of reason for abundant
and earnest interest in what he wrote.
like Won Bernhard. Cart. Won Edel-
she!m had carefully digested the ma
terial accessible To him. and his PAM
pN'ot revealed just what the kaiser's
strataEt>ts had in mind should trouble
arts" There is no reason to believe
that this little known officer Is less de-
serving OF Credence than Gen. Won Bern
hard. Capt Won Edelshcim brought
American naval and military strategi-ts
face to face with a grave problem. and
Col Roosevelt had the situation called
10 his attention.
Quotations from this essay Will dis
close how near this German officer has
come to tie truth Of our capacity here
~ the Atlantic coast to resist or
% repel an invasion carried ont
IN the manner proposed by him.
II IL clear to everybody that the
Ksisers experts pan years ahead
and modify their ARRANGEMENTS az
Il becomes necessary 50 that the de-
tails may harmonic with the march of
events ard mechanical developments.
This is preparedness in the fullest seLse
n the term, and Capt Won Edelsheim' S
pamphlet is broadly as applicable to-day
as It was when written a while back,
Keeping this thought in mind, the fol-
owing extracts tell their own story:
The military commanders If the
future will have to count the prepara-
.ions for and the execution of wars
over sea among their most important
tasks. There is no state in the whole
greater means than Germany for the
enterprise Of war by landing.
In tn FRS; place the excellence and
The readiness ~ our army and the &C.
sr.y with which large masses Of troops
osn be modified are not equalied by
any other great Power in the second
place Germany dsposes Of the second
largest commercial marine in the world
snd has in the rapid large steamships
81 her shipping companies a splendid
transport fleet, the excellence OF whica
IL not exceeded even by that II Eng
and Itself. in the last place the In
crease and strengthening OF our navy
~hoh = az present taking place will
guarantee increased security to tn,
Transport Of our troops over sea.
These factors, which are peculiarly
favorable for Germanys power oper
field for our world policy and render
L possible for us to make our stroni
military forces also useful for th'
greatness Of the empire and to secure
by the development OF German powe
over sea the same feared and esteemed
\ position in the world which our vic
tories Of the last decades have earne'
for rs in central Europe.
y further stimulus in this direction
= 70 be found In the fact that our nav!
WI, not be able at once to attain sucl
d"'Alopment that IL can alone solve al
tasks which may have to be solved II
az energetic world policy. Therefor
- desirable that the strength Of on
army should be made visible and avail
A." over sea to such nations as hav
'9 Ear looked at Germany as state b,
N..l they cannot be reached. Thu
We must consider not only landings Il
N motion with territorial wars bu
a. opera Ions against states which "
''. DO n pn,y by sea.
\ '"ra.ous over sea must not b
.rIr" sed, because there ~ hope 70
nor ...c"ss only when the whole com
POI. 7'.I mechanism down TO the small
- "details have been prepared IN time
when the landing has bee
''r''td In such way that the oppo
h'.' "I, b"en taken by surprise. an
'r.rs .~ Vital element in such al
H''r Nt.ug. even strong countr
v. hardly succeed in concentratln
IAN 'U' forces in time wherewth |
p In M ions 10