The Washington times., 1915-06-07
Can the United statss kean a secret

II SO, how?
These are questions that military
and naval officers have been asking
themselves lately. How could CEN
sorship be applied and organized In
this country How would absolutely
essential naval secrets be kept within
the knowledge. exclusively. of the
people entitled to know about them?
1t would be a surprise to most
people to know how deeply such In
quiries have been pondered lately.
The Russo-Japanese. war taught all
the world the lesson that effective mill
tary and naval operations must be
based on the best possible system OF
secrecy. Japan was turned into a
gentlemen's club for the purposes OF
making war. Germany has been
guarded almost as securely. the
British nation has enforced a rigorous
censorship. without much intelli-
gence. The Japanese and the Ger
mans have managed to put them
selves In the worlds lead in their
espionage systems through which
they learn the secrets of other coun-
tries.
SpylnR MOI F6VOIeu.
The United States has neither facili-
ties for informing itself about what
other countries are doing. nor means
for supprsssing information about
what 1t Is doing. As to the former. II
Is frankly admitted that our Govern
ment 10 hopelessly weak. Democracies
do not lend themselves to spying
programs.
On the other hand, they are peculiarly
vulnerable to the efforts Of highly organ.
lied, centralized. and bureaucratizeo
governments bent on knowing their se.
crets. So tho question recurs, what
would this country do In case OF war to
protect its military information7
Despite our weakness. the militar,
and naval officers have considered
recently proposed a unique plan &c
guard naval information. 1t is Dor
rowed. in a way. from Japan and Brit
tain. Stated by a naval officer who
would have very much to do with con
trolling American naval dispositions. II
The naval general stan ought to b
placed somewhere on the coast, on al
island. That island should be the com
plete. independent headquarters from
and to which all information should b.
gr thered. There are several such
| places. none Of which need be pointed
out or described for obvious reasons
This station should be 30 guarded tha
there would be no chance Of persona
contact with outsiders; nobody shoult
be allowed to land. nobody to leave
| For myself, I would have a barbet
wire ENHANCEMENT around II. and 1
need be. would charge the wires will
high-tension electric current.
Only One Wire Code.
| Here would come. by cable and b!
wireless. every bit of information. Her
the plans Of campaign would be made
and hence would emanate the final or
ders. There would be only one tele
graph code. and q strictly limited mum
Der Of people who would know It care
fully kept from contact with other peo
pie. The business of translst ting thing
into and from code would have to b
divided UP so that nobody would have
| chance to know too much about an
given communication or series OF CON
munications.
, Representatives of the manufactui
ing branches Of the naval establish
ment. OF the Bureaus of Navigation
Ordnance, Construction. Steam Eng
neering. and the rest, would be mair
tatned there. From them would go or
orders for materials and movement
without. any explanations: abeolui
authority would have TO be vested her
subject only to the President and Cab
net officers, who would have their pr
There are some things that. dor
under an American system. would I
very expensive. For instance, suppot
; that a war were in progress, and bi
concentration OF naval forcos must
made at some point on the coast.