The Washington herald., 1920-12-28
Mesopotamia Secret War
Base of British is Hinted
Experimenting With Arplanes, Torpedoes and
Poison-gas Charged; Public Is Barred.

the British in Mesopotamia was
vague. No foreigners were allowed
outside Bagdad and no official OBJ
servers of foreign governments
were permitted to enter Mesopo-
tamia so that ii was impossible to
obtain information from any travel
ers or officials.
May Account for Daniels, Stand.
/ shall report the story today
with all the facts which have come
into my possession for two reasons:
One is that If the report is authen-
tic then this may be one of the rea-
sons why the American government.
particularly our Navy Department.
Is following the policy Of building
a large navy and making extensive
Preparations fo' another world con-
fiict: the other reason is that IL the
report is not true, then the ques-
ton arises why the British govern
ment has refused the request of the
American government to send OBJ
servers into Mesopotamia and why
the British authorities in Mesopo-
tamia have refused permission to
representatives of American oil in
terests to visit the oil fields of that
country.
Whatever the outcome of the pub
lication of these alleged military ex-
periments OF the British in Mesopo-
tamia may be, this fact remains that
the mystery of Mesopotamia is today
engaging the serious attention of
more than one foreign government
for as far as is known today, Mesn-
potamia is the only spot in the Brit
ish Empire which is sealed to all
foreign observation.
The mystery of Mesopotania first
engaged the attention of the diplo-
matte world during the summer
when the Rolls-Royce Automobile
Company announced that 1t would
be unable to deliver cars as ordered
The explanation given a few days
later was that the British war de-
rartment had commandeered all OF
the output of that company for the
use of the British army in Mesopo-
tamia. The assumption of the pub
lie was that the automobiles were
being sent to "mespot' as Mesopo-
tamia is called by the public. But
IT now develops that instead of cars
being sent there, airplanes were
shipped. A further assumption was
that all the war material sent TO
Mesopotamia was for use in subdu-
ing the Arabs. Still the public, and
particularly the British press. could
not understand why it was COSTING
the British government nearly 1O0,-
100000 pounds (normally about $780,
Oo0.OO0) annually to pacify Mesopo-
tamia. Although there were fire.
quent debates in both houses of Par
i.alieut, the war depa. irrnt ncv: +
explained why the Mesopotamia ex-
pedftion was 50 costly.
When the American State Depart
ment, however. questioned the Sc
cret oil agreement between France
and England made at San Reno
there were other reasons which ac-
tuated the government and ii is
not unlikely that the British MILL
tary experiments were as much in
the mind of Secretary Colby as the
oil agreement
Spot ExccIIentIy Located.
Although no reference was made
publicly to war preparations there
the charges which have arisen, and
which the British have not denied
are that the war office has beer
concentrating a large number OF
stan officers. air experts and ex.
perts in chemical warfare in Meso.
potamia and that these officers with
vast amount of equipment, have
been experimenting on a large
scale with gas bombs and maneu.
verlng with aeroplanes. For such
experiments, Mesopotama is an ex.
cellent location because it is one
spot in the world where such ex.
periments could be conducted with
absolute secrecy so long as the gov
ernment prohibited foreigners from
visiting that country during the
British occupation.
That there have been military ac.
tivities with airplanes and poison
gas is substantiated by the fac
that until very recently the war de-
partment has been sending only of.
ficers experienced in these form.
of warfare to Mesopotamia. Las
week was the first week in which
the war office is known to have
Cancelled orders already issued tc
certain officers in London to pro.
ceed to that country. This lates,
action of the war office has giver
rise to a further report that tn,
military experiments in Mesopota
mia are about ended and at a fu,
ture date Mesopotamia may agair
be opened to the outside world. But
meanwhile Mesopotamia is block
AIDED.
Copyright. 1920. Public Ledger Coz