New-York tribune., 1916-01-29
Vital Areas" Otherwise
Would Be Unguarded,
Board Officer Says.
SHIPS COULD SHELL
BOSTON UNTOUCHED
Safe from American Guns al
$4,000 Yards. Colonel Ham
Tells Senate Committee.

Washington. Jan. 2S Why force
Of at least l.O25,OOO men would DC
recdcd 10 protect the "vitsl areas o.
,he United States against strong
enemy was detailed TO the Senate MN,
tary Committee to-day by Lieu'ehs"'
Cojorsl " G. Haan, member OF a
War Department board when speh'
seysp vears working out defence plans.
Tho hoard. known as the natlohhi
land defence beard. OF which MAJOR
General Wotherspoon was president
visitsd and studied minuteiy evetN
rert of the coast line. II reported ~
Iol3 but It's findings have heen heIu
confidential by the department AhVhE
other information II subm tied detsleu
Working plans. drawn up IN COM June
ton with the engineer corps, Tor m'e'
ina. emergencies. colonel haan sara
some OF these plans now wei9 oeing
used in revising the defeuces OF the
netropolitan districts in accordance
with latest information as to the range
of foreign field artillery and sh'ps
guns. c.,ouoi Hon,
e.plaiued. was TO determine the nee
essarv auxiliary field fortlhcauons ana
Rooms necessary for defence against
~eid'rc parties. and did not coniem-
pIate war plans for use in case an III,
Vasion bv a large army ectua.Iy hau
boe, ACCOMPLISHED II was then esu-
mated. he SAID. that a division OF Lo'ooV
might be landed by raidine force.
"Of what use would il be TO land
division Of 10000 men ." asked senator
Hitchcock. ..,,
III .hey could land a division now
Colonel Haan declared. they could tahe
almost any place we have. Then they
would have q harbor where an lnvad-
ING army nigh. be landed and when
would be held by their feet As q base.
Twenty Divisions Needed in East.
To Drotcct the various areas, from
Portland. Me. 20 Norfolk. Colone Haan
added. the board had concluded that
the following divisions would be nee
ossary. each 90 be well balanced or
ganization OF 10000 men.
Portland. one division, Boston tWo'
Narragansett, one; New London. one
Northern New York. two; Southern Ne"
York. two; Delaware. one, Nashing-
fon ard Baltimore. two; Norfolk, two,
ard n general reserve OF six divisions.
The revised defence plans for Bos-
TON end New York called for en- IN
croased mum Der Of men he added. max
mo q total Of $4,000 mobile troops ne
cessarv for this section. exclusive OF
the coast artillery supports and battery
personnel.
south Of Norfolk. he said. the board
y I'D only estimated on the basis OF the
coast artillery supports because most
Of the cities 80 valuable as 20 require
defence were far from the guns. Twelve
regiments for this work would be need
The needs Of the Pacific Coast he
cave IA three divisions in the Puget
Sound region: one at the mouth OF the
Columbia River, three at San Francisco
and one a. Los Angeles and San Diego.
SIX divisions should be held IN reterVe,
he said.
How large an army would these
plfns involve?" asked Senator IMAM
berlan. H.
"One million and twenty-five thou.
sand men TO protect the critical areas
Colonel Haan replied.
Ships could lie outside OF Boston
Colonel Haan said, in discussing haroor
defences, and destroy the navy yards
~ State House. the Fore River works
in range of the American guns. lie
recommended that eight l6-inch rifles
for direct fre and sixteen l2-inch long
range mortars be added to the defences
there. all with range Of more than
10000 yards. against the maximum
range Of $1,000 yards of the present
guns.
The maximum cost Of putting into
operation the Chamberlain bill. pro
posinc universal military training.
would be Slss.000,o00 a year, according
to figures submitted TO the committee
bv Ouartermnster General Aleshire.
They were based on the assumption
that II 100000 men between the ages
Of twelve and twenty-three years would
be trained The average cost Of a CON
tinental army proposed in the War De
partment measure was estimated at
s31, 100000.