New-York tribune., 1914-11-01

VAIN, rus they are prepared 10 run
every risk and sacrifice any number OF
ships and men on the chance Of sue
cess. They have the ships. They have
the men. There is reason TO believe
that in the War Office itself the dan
ger Of invasion is considered real
danger. On that point | offer you
story fer which | do not vouch--indeed,
which | am inclined to disbelieve
but story which people with good
opportunities of knowing do believe to
DC true. II will at least serve as an
Illuminating preface TO another state
ment, in itself very important. of
which the truth cannot be questioned.
The Two Schools of Strategy.
Il is said. then. that Lord Kitchener
has recently taken steps to put him
self into personal communication with
the commanding officers of the troops
now in England. lie has stated to
them his reasons for thinking that
there is a risk of invasion, and not a
very distant risk. He has impressed
upon them the necessity of their being
ready 10 cooperate with the navy. He
has asked them TO consider the fact
that the Germans count on occupying
the attention OF the fleet By an attack
with all their available orce: in the
hope that during such an engagement
transports and their convoy OF second
and third class ships OF war might be
able TO slip past and make their way
TO the English coast.
The German assumption is that Sir
John Jellicoe has not the disposition of
forces competent to deal with the Ger
mans. inferior as they are in naval
strength, and at the same time safe
guard the whole coast on the North
Sea; or so much of it as is not shell
tered by reefs or mines. On the other
hand, the points where hostile land
ing in force may be made are not very
many; unless the Germans carry their
recklessness so far as TO attempt a
landing where there is no harbor.
Eliminating this, the troops ought to
be able to deal with invaders as and
while Decentralization is proceeding; to
which end they must be on the watch
cay and night, and hour by hour; with
due arrangements for concentrating IN
any part at the shortest notice all
available forces.
Now, there are obvious reasons for
Giscrediting this account. which ! have
very much abridged. and the first is
that it could only have come from Lord
Kitchener himself or from one of the
Commanding officers present. It is Ger.
tain that il did not come from Lord
Kitchener 1t is. if not certain, most
improbable that any general whom
Lord Kitchener took into his confidence
would violate that confidence. II is GER
tain also that officials who stand very
close 10 the Minister for War and who
would be likely to know of such an in
. 4pnk nlarp GrOH a.
the whole story. The items which
have omitted are integral parts of the
supposed interview and would still fur
ther support it; but they none the less
have TO be omitted, inasmuch as, If
true. they cannot be in possession even
of German spy.
On the other hand, there are two
schools of strstegists in respect OF TINS
business Of invasion. There is school
which holds. as | intimated above, that
naval power by itself is an INSULT
cient protection against invasion and
always must be. The other is known
as the blue water school and is con-
tent t) rely on the Navy and the Navy
alone as an adequate protection in all
circumstances. To this blue water
school il is known that Lord Kitchener
does not belong. As he does not, he
may very NCAls liiuSSh
leave no means untried by which a
land defence against invasion may be
perfected.
Is England Ready7
So far as know, the narrative which
I have given you in outline has not ap-
peared in print. This may afford pre-
SUMPTION against its accuracy, or 1t
may only mean that, like many other
matters relating to war, whether IN
nocent or otherwise, il has not escaped
the censorship of the Press Bureau.
The real interest of it lies, however,
not in the disclosure of any informa-
tion unknown to the enemy-ln which
respect have been my own censor but
as a contribution to a history OF the
actual condition of England and her
preparedness to meet even remote con
tingencies Of attack For take II that,
in the present temper of Germany, not
the most extreme partisan of the blue
water school would omit to avail him
self Of every other conceivable means
Of thwarting ever German project, no
matter how desperate, no matter If TO
all neutral military minds il was rank
ly impossible. Slowly, very slowly, even
now. the English are awaking TO the
knowledge that the war they have en-
tered upon is for them, not less than
for heroic Belgium herself, a war in
which all the issues Of war. even the
gravest, have TO be met. u. W. >.