The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-22
DISCLOSE SECRETS OF
MILITARY INVENTIONS

Washington. May 2a-At the edu-
cational exposition being given by the
department OF the interior IN {ts
building at Nineteeth and F streets.
Washing ton. this week. there are be
ing disclosed for the first time since
the war the secrets OF various mill
tary inventions that were held under
the ban of s,rtcteSt secrecy until the
Hun was licked. The famous Brown
ing gun and the Browning rifle.
patents upon which has just been
dealing devices that aided greatly in
bringing about victory.
What the other inventions are can
not be definitely stated at this time.
but is declared by responsible Off
Gals OF the patent Office who know
these secrets. that If some of them.
as for example certain new pro5ec-
tiles for artillery. had gone into actual
use, Germany would have been plow
ed under and blown off the earth.
Airpfanes, sfiriyibies and automatfcs
would have harraged and bombed the
whole interior and front of Germany
and gases would have been used that
would not have only destroyed all
life like the scthe of Father Time. bur
also would have DESTROYED all vegeta-
ton and perhaps rendered the soil
useless for years to come.
The department is also explaining
for the first time the elaborate ma
chinery which it employed to keep
from the enemy any information re
garding new inventions of military
i'm portance. This responsibility. upon
which il might be said the security of
the entire country rested deSolved
upon seven serious sphinxes of the
patent Office known az the primary
examiners committee. Each mem
Der OF this committee was a tried and
trusted employe OF the patent office,
whose integrity was unquestioned. as
must be the case in view OF the ex-
treme methods the Huns were using
in their far-hung spy system. This
inner council Of seven was sworn to
bsolute secrecy as to the details Of
every application for a patent OF
a military nature and also as to the
Suggestions and ideas that poured in
from friendly countries. and they
were instructed TO hold any such de-
vice from patent until the war was
over They were instructed. however,
that any Of these ideas and sugges-
tons that might prove helpful TO
the war authorities should be COM
municated to them at once,
These men acted under the author
"
1917, both relating to the secrecy of
inventions. and one giving the federal
trade commission authority over mat
ters relating the trading with the
enemy. AZ soon as an application for
patent was placed under an order OF
secrecy. everyone connected with the
patent--invcntor or patent lawyer
was enjoined 20 secrecy. and all were
told that a violation Of this order
An re f,,- -
imprisonment. or both. An army and
navy patent board was also instituted
to study the applications pending in
the patent ohice to see IL any OF these
should be called to the attention of
the military authorities This secret
advisory committee during the war
passed upon more than 1000 ideas,
suggestions. or devices. which 1t was
believed might be OF service to the
cause OF the allies or the United
States government. AMI out OF these
suggestions found that some 200 were
of SUFFICIENT Importance to be sub
mitted to the military authorities. 1t
is said that many OF these suggestions
we're adopted, an dit is believed that
they had an important influence in
helping to win the war.
That practically the whole world
was interested in the success Of the
allies ana was using It's ingenuity
to circumvent the Germans is seen
in the fact that this advisory board
received eight suggestions from Eng
land, twenty-five from France. two
from Switzerland, one from Hawaii.
one from Australia. one from New
Zealand, three from Mexico. one from
Yucatan, five from Spain. seven from
italy, one from Russia. twenty Ave
from Poland. and one written in Ger
man and presumably from Germany.
In addition there were a large number
OF American inventions that were
placed under the order Of secrecy
Patents ara now being granted Tor
these inventions as rapidly as tho
work can be done at the patent Office.
It's always necessary to pass
around the collection plate in order
to get the cents Of tho meetings