Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-09
Daniels Statement

Daniels Statement
! Secretary Daniels issued this state
ment this morning:
az is said that the Sayville radio
station had made application to the
eeeretary Of commerce for license.
The secretary Of commerce declined to
grant the license and SO informed the
secretary Of the navy, who, after con-
ference, directed Captain Billiard, as
the expert Of the department, to take
over and operate the station. Lieu
itenant George r. Clark will be in con-
troll Of the station. Captain Billiard
reached New York this morning and
will confer with the owners Of the sta
ton in all that relates to the details
Of the operation Of the station. Prae-
.tiealIy the same rules and regulations
as are now applicable to Tuckerton
will be put into operation at sayviIIe.'
There will be no change so far as
THE public is concerned. Messages will
be accepted as heretofore. The only
difference will be that naval operators
instead of commercial employees Will
man the keys. The charges collected
by the navy will be paid to the own
ing company.
! Suspect Neutrality Violations
Today's action was taken under an
executive order issued by President
Wilson giving the navy authority to
take over "one or more stations II
deemed necessary because of alleged
violations Of neutrality by the COM
lpany's operators. 1t has been charged
that when the navy censors had left
khe wireless room for a minute or two
}unneutral messages had been sent ana
THAT only by a difficult and trying su-
tpervision could neutrality be strictly
tobserved.
The wireless station at Tuckerton'
N, j., was taken over last september
lby the government. Both stations
nov are able to communicate direct
with Germany. but there has been
from the start restriction prohlplt-
ing the sending of cipher message un-
less code books were deposited with
the naval censors. The same rule Will
be continued.
Originally, the object of the censorship
was to prevent communication with bel
lieerent ships at sea because it was held
that such communication was violation
: Of the principle of international law
,.h;cb forbids the use of neutral terrific
~ as a base of military operations. since
then. however. as there have been prac-
ideally no German ships on the Auantc'
the censorship has been continued, II is
vaid in naval quarters. because OF a con-
yiction that German submarines were
able to receive wireless messages sent
from Sayville. High naval officers nave
told Secretary Daniels that while they
have no evidence that such Communlca
zion has been maintained they could not
know definitely whether the station was
IN touch with German submarines unless
the navy's own operators were in charge
of the plant.
That is understood to be one of the con-
trolling reasons among others for the &C
ton of Secretary Daniels today.
Wilson's Order Of Aug. 5
The executive order issued by President
Wilson Aug 5, 1914, said: Radio sta
lions within the jurisdiction of the Unit
ed States were prohibited from trans
hitting or receiving for delivery mes
sages of an unneutral nature and from
in any way rendering any one of the bel
UgerenlS any uHiltuti dI SSiNitc' anu ~
Is desirable to take precautions to in
sure the enforcement of said order, In
eofar as it relates to the TRANSMISSION OF
code and cipher messages by high pow
cred stations capable of trans -Atlantic
communication"
1t ordered that "one or more of the
high powered radio stations mentioned be
taken over by the government and used
or controlled by it to the exclusion OF
any other control or use for the purpose
of carrying on communication with land
stations in Europe. including code and
cipher messages"
The enforcement of the order was del
egated to the secretary of the navy and
the Tuckerton station was taken over on
Sept O. 1914, and has since been operat-
ed by the government.
State department officials said no COM
plant regarding the neutrality OF the
sayyille station had been received official
Nv from the British government. They
said that the state department merely
had been consulted by Secretary Redheld
in reaching his determination to refuse
to issue license.
Is All German
Secretary Redfeld in a letter to Sec
rotary Lansing recommending that the
United States take over the Sayville
station. said investigation had shown
that the new sending station. for
which license was asked. had all been
erected since the beginning Of the war.
with apparatus made in Germany; that
the company was entirely German
owned, working with stations in Ger
many under German government con-
troll and that Prof. ]. Zenneck, cap
tain of marines Of the German navy
and wireless expert had been assigned
by the German government to conduct
experiments there. To grant a license
to such a station, Secretary Redfield