The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-28
STAFF ALONE RULES
GERMAN WAR PLANS
General Organization Has Full
Command: Interference
Barred.
RESPONSIBLE TO KAISER
specidi Correspondence 70 The srS

LONDON, Nov. 1o-The constitution
organisation and work OF Germany
Great General stan are described A.
follows by the former Berlin corrcspor.
dent Of the Times:
1.-THE first principle OF the German
scheme (for the organization Of war,
Ia the practical exclusion OF the po.u.
clans and the administrator from the
sphere of strategical initiative and mil.
tary operation.
ION the evening Of July 90. 1914. 7
autographed from Berlin that. while Il.
German official attitude remained fairly
tranquil as regarded the Russian mobiil.
cation, the development of military opn.
ion. which was making itself felt, might
be difficult to control
This was my inference from a con.
v~ersat,on with the German Foreign Sec.
rotary. 1t did not mean that the wa
party'-that large empty phrase beloved
Of politicians-was pressing for war. bu,
that the military authorities were b..
coming impatient at the prolongatioa o.
the crisis and insisting that no useless
delays nus be allowed to postpone Their
labors.
"A few hours afterward the Council
OF War at Potsdam took the vital De.
cision. The hour of the politicians Rad
passed and the day of the Great General
stan had come.
From the time of the mobilization
the Government. as known IN peace time
look second place. The General Star
controlled and carried out the war. It's
chief was In no way responsible TO The
Imperial Chancellor. or to any Govern
mental or administrative influence. lie
was responsible directly to the Emperor
and to him alone.
StrategicnlIy supreme.
80 far from advising or Informing the
politicians or the Government. the Gen.
eral stan was. so to speak, strategically
supreme, and, 10 far from supplying
military proposals to the politicians. was
the recipient OF their political or diplo.
matte information. and was responsible
for coordlnatinr policy n strategy.
"When the Great Headquarters was
established in the field, the Ministers
ans to II II did not send emissaries %
Berlin. IL will be remembered that the
Imperial Chancellor. the Foreign S~fs-
tary II n host of other officials spes,
the first period OF the war at Luxeubu-s.
and afterward In France, II the war
had not lasted so much longer than tie
General STAN intended the Ministers
would. no doubt. ave stayed there until
the end.
practical independence % the Gov
Is. then, a cardinal feature -
the German General Staf's system ani
nobody will suggest that the German
system can he applied whole in 4 .o4n-
try with an entirely different cor>'-
tuition and with methods So dTe-cn,
that II does not regard martial law ~
necessary in time of war.
The second most striking feature 70
the German system is that the Ge's-a'
stan on the outbreak Of war d!vda
into two parts. the more important q,
which conducts its operator s IN tHs
Hc!d-at whatever point may he T1s:
convenient.
1T !s just Il hundred years si'c" "a
stan was split ito two parasitic s'a'
with the troops and the stan IN Ber''7
Every visitor to Berlin VIII remember
the vast n ugly building Of the great
General STAFF. in which the great N'-
Moltke lived n died. II was. ! be-.
lieve. erected in "A hurry about the tea'
1866. and nobody has had tie ( rH ~
inclination 10 change Il.
q the night of the German u, h'l.
zation ! had occasion. in company WITH 4
Foreign ONCE official. To seaNN tur '.-
military censor, OF whose PERSONAL
or existence few people then sceMoi -
be ware. In the course OF our seaNN
we wandered all over the Gcnera' 80"
building, only 20 Inc all tie light "-.
II the place almost u~ntenantel
Won Moltke in Minor Position,
THE real General Staff had Hvu
Henceforward the Genera S'att ,r Ne--
lin was OF minor importance. ~ "a;
be judged from the fact that T. b : ''7
In charge-as deputy chicf-ot Cen
Won Moltke. who. after n f"T
months OF war. was dcposcd fr.'. ''"
Office OF Chief Of General STAFF .' 90
Field. and succeeded by the the l-I'-
sian Minister 81 War, Won Fa.kcnAa'r
This change illustrates aro,h,- N'.-
feature of the German scheme. tie a.
that the General stan Is cU'r"r '"'
dependent of tho Ministry % Wa, 0-'o'
performs purely administrative t.0'-
lions. When o Falkenhayr Uos ~.
NOTED TO he Chief OF the general 800
he was succeeded AT the N'0'S'~T o'
War by a certain General w" NH
Hohenborn. OF whom the pubic rer''
hears.
ut Ia not necessary here - q s'as'
the General Staff machinery, -" "Ar
point II that Il IL, as has been al. A.
organism OF which the arteries ~.
all through the body ~ the a-"t 40
that II carries out !n~dcp~rder''f 80
plans which II has itself aeyN.. N'
chief. responsible only 10 TIE E.'n'-''
Ia the centre OF power. and no. ?
an adviser or a source Of informal a."