The sun., 1919-09-10
FISHER SEES U-BOAT
AS FUTURE FIGHTER
British Naval Authority Says
Aeros Will Annihilate
Surface Craft.
BARES OLD SEA SECRETS
Had Plan to Bottle German
Fleet and Land Soldiers
Near Berlin.
BARES OLD SEA SECRETS

This is the third of series of drti-
clos BY former First Sea Lord Of tho
British Admiralty, popularity kropn q,
Enoldnd as "Hell Fire Jack" Fisher.
By BARON FISHER of KiIverstone
Special caoie Despatch to TEE STIR from the
London Times Serpice.
Copyright, 1919, all rights reserved.
LONDON, Sept. s.-"Don't prescribe I'M
iii you are called in"
Those words were spoken to me by
that eminent physician and dear friend
Of mine, Sir Bertrand Dawson. when one
day explained to him that my rule in
life in case Of big affairs was never to
have a confidant He had been inquir-
ing of me whether under certain condi-
lions would explain what would pro.
pose to do at a particular crisis in war.
said to him that 1 had my plan in
minute detail and was absolutely sure
Of its unqualified success, for 1 had three
strings to my bow instead Of the proverb-
ial two, but would not divulge my
plan. and I never did to living SOUL az
| uOWeNtT peTIeCl, call ever DC
completed successfully unless the man
who formed 1t carries It out II some
body else carries It out and 1t fails he
gets no discredit.
The man who made the plan Is the
one who has the rope around his neck.
said much more to him OF current
events and the personalities would have
to deal with, which is totally UNIT for
publication. sawdust would run out Of
many regulations were to do so, and
1t is not my purpose now to agitate any.
body. I concluded my remarks to him
with an extract from, 1 believe, a most
celebrated speech made by Edmund
Burke in the House of Commons. He
said: II have no faith in any scheme Of
war in which the execution is divorced
from the plan"
! Sir Bertrand Dawson chimed in: 81
have something better. Don't prescribe
until you are called in"
! Yes, that is better because everybody
gets sick. but. everybody does not go &c
war. I shalr never forget taking nine
grains of calomel. 1 am sure he would
never have given It to me had he beer
called in. 1t was enough to kill a horse
So 1t was In stormy years. from 1902 e
1910, that Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot
who met a glorious but not justifiabls
death at the battle of Jutland, left a
sealed letter to be given to me by hi
wife in case he was killed. 1t is a lovely
letter He was my flag captain when
was Admiral at Portsmouth.
Describes Interview.
Tho time is May, 1908. He describes
in this letter remarkably unpleasant
interview he had with me and appar
emily 1 told him to obey orders and no
argue. He had the audacity to ask IN!
reasons. I told him that bigger mer
than he had asked me my reasons. TIL,
word camoufstse had not then been in
vented, but told him 1 always gav'
superiors an evasive answer. but wa
In position to say to him you b.
damned"
But he adds in his letter that wa
kind enough to give him a prophecy. an,
II was fulfilled on July 10, 1914, whei
Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, taking
mutual friend round Scapa Flow, tn
feet being then at Spithead. In his Ad
mirars barge. said to him: This moderI
navy is Lord Fisher. Everything here Il
of his origination."
Admiral Mahan, years after and no
so very long before the war. wrote Al
article In the Scientific American tina
said the world had suddenly discovere,
that IS per cent OF the guns of the Brit
ish navy were trained on Germany.
Does any one in his senses believ
that a weakened people. had they know
the plan. would have permitted IT'S ex