The Washington herald., 1920-12-31
= 2 -
GERMANS PLEAD
DEFENSE THEORY
FOR EXCESS GUNS
Fear of Bolshevist Inva-
sion Leads to Peace
Treaty Violation. Y
special to rhs washiastsn Hssaid.)
BY .. b. CONGERa

<
BERLIN. Dec. 3o.-Germany is
making determined effort to re-
tain supply Of artillery consid-
erably In excess, of the limits con-
tempiated by the 'interailied mill
tary specifications of the Versailles
treaty. She uses as a cover the
clauses of the peace treaty permit
ting hef to retain the fortresses
In eastern and southern Germany
in the state in which they were
when the treaty came into effect.
The allied specialists understood
by this phrase their normal arma-
ment. but found the fortfesses such
as Koenigsberg and Kustrin equip
ped during the war with a large
amount of supplementary artillery
beyond their peace-time equipmen mt.
As culmination to last summers
correspondence in which the en-
tente tried to force Germany to
surrender the extra cannon, the for
eign oflice has just. dispatched a
note to the council of ambassa-
dors insisting upon retaining the
present armament of the fortress
The German argument is based on
the possibility OF a Bolshevist or
Polish invasion.
Retain Many Field Guns.
The same fortress clauses also
gave the German war ONCE occa-
sion to put in a claim to retain
hundreds Of field guns, as part of the
armament of the fortresses In ad-
dition to the field artillery permit
ted the standing army under the
peace treaty. The Germans based
that demand on the argument, de-
rived from experience at verdun.
Antwerp. Liege and elsewhere. that
fortress requires. in addition to
fixed artillery, a large allotment
Of light guns to protect those which
otherwise would become the easiest
prey for q besieging force. The
interalHed commission Of control is
ready to admit the justice of this
contention, but not when IL in
wolves virtually doubling the num-
bcr of field guns which Germany
Is permitted to retain.
1t is understood that among the
artillery which Germany may per-
haps slip through under cover of
this provision. are ten batteries OF
heavy field artillery. the existence
of which has been properly noti-
fed to the entente representatives.
but which at late reports has not
yet been ordered destroyed.
While one branch of the inter-
allied control commission under
Gen. Bingham OF Great Britain, is
IaA ,.rtN III
tillery. another section under Gen.
Nollet of France is cunning for for
nation such as the security police
and the Bavarian Home Guards
which, II Is contended. ase capable
of being used as infantry reserves
for the regular army in case of
war and must therefore be dis
banded under the treaty and the Spa
agreement. The Germans met the
earlier demands for dissolution of
the security police by merely chang
ing the name Of the Organization
and depriving II Of its artillery and
part OF its machine guns and rifles.
The Entente note just presented
does not accept this reorganization
OF the police.
Delicate situation Presented.
Inc case Is ulHeTent IN tne con =
troversy over the Bavarian Home
Guards. The federal government
would be quite willing to jettison
this force and the "Orgesch." or Wig
ilance committee, which, though
loudly protesting their loyalty to
the constitution. manifest this vir-
tue only in activities against the
radical and left would be highly un-
dependable should a revolutionary
movement come from a reactionary
direction. The government has not
ventured to take steps to comply
with the Spa agreement in the face
of the determined attitude of the
reactionary Bavarian government.
Gen. Nollet, according to fairly au-
thenticated reports. took this view
of the situation when reporting to
the council Of ambassadors on the
home guards problem.
II the entente governments take
Gen. Nollet's view Of the necessity
of strong measures to secure a dis
bandment of these Bavarian and
East Prussian organizations, the
| federal government will be treading
on most dangerous ground in its efr
fort to avoid trouble with the pow
ers that be in Bavaria.