Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-07

oral boards "solution Of Problem.
Black" was sonei
The most thorough search failed To
ind any trace Of H.
How long Ind IL been missins7 No
ono could answer.
Not stolen by German spy.
The newspapers hintcd that IL Ind
been stolen by some German spy. Hurh
was tho obvious suspicion. Tho aug-
gostion that II might have been stolen
by aomc German spy was given no cres
dencc In the department. Nothing II
so carefully guarded M war plans, and
so far ns we know the Germans never
got hold OF any of ours. although early
In the war n number OF things occurred
which made MS wonder how much they
did know. For example {:
Movements of Vessels and orders re-
latins thereto were known only 10 the
few officials In the navy department who
issued the orders and to the men on
the vessels. Great palms wore taken
to prevent the Germans from learning
about the first destroyers sont over
They sailed under sealed orders. and
until he was fifty miles nt sea and
broke t~e seal. not even the commnn-
der or the flotiIa knew its destination.
Yet the day before tho division ar
rived. German submarines. for the fret
time In months. Howod mines ali across
the entrance TO Queenstown, and the
German papers printed the news Of our
dastroyers arrival before II was pub
iished in England or America. The lat
ter iH more easily accounted for. as Il
was several days before We announced
that they had reached q British pore.
but the mine laying led many 10 be-
lieve that the enemy had In some way.
learned they were coming.
when our FIRST troop conveys went to
Europe they were attacked far out at
sea. and Admiral Sims cnbled that II was
practically certain that the enemy
knew positions Of the nrst rendezvou.
aud accordingly sent a submarine to In
tercept before junction with destroyers"
Though Sims afterward discounted the
idea that tho conveys were attacked. he
waa excited enough about it NJ The
time, for he sent me two cabiegraua
about Il In three days.
Germans "Doped II Out
Hut whatever the Germans might
have learned about our ship movements
on the other side. am confident that
they did not get any information from
this side Of the Atlantic. The navy
had control Of all radio. every cable
message was scanned and even the
destroyer and transport captains aid
not know their destination until they
were we'll out a. sea. My own opinion
iH that the Germans. who knew ~ Gen.
pershing arrival i'm England. which
=
sailed. inferred that troops were being
dispatched and merely "doped out" the
probable route. The mine laying NJ
Queenstown wns. az likely as not sim
ply a coincidence.
And SO am satisfied in my own mind
that tho missing plan. the Problem
SOLUTION. Black" wlll vet ba found rare-
fully--too oarefullI--hidden nway IN the
navy department. | have never believed
u was stolen. or that II In any way fell
into German hands.
Tho explanation of it's vanishing.
think. viii be found to no quite simple
and viii show that Il was due To- an
over anxiety to preserve the plan in alb
Hoiute secrecy.
As ! have said. but one copy vas
made of II. II was probably given into
He care OF tapts Nolney CnasP. chief
assistant to Admiral Henson. and a
man TO whom matters of the utmost
importance were frequently committed,
Capt Chase was an exceedingly able
and unsparingly devoted officer. II IA
not unlikely that he put the Black
Plan" problem away in some secret
dramer or cabinet. conhdlng IN no one
as 10 lta whereabouts.
Took Secret tn Grace.
Then. in June. 1917, worn out with
almost ceaselcss work. he died-iiea