Evening star., 1921-12-10
HOLDS CHEMISTRY !.
VITAL TO WARFARE.
Gen. Fries, in Annual \ Report,
Says All Methods Stand
Till All Are Abolished.

Regardless Of any international agree
ment for the Limitation OF armament.
the people must not be "deluded with the
idea that any particular method Of war
fare can be abolished by agreement until
all warfare can be abolished" says Gen.
A. A. Fries. chief Of the chemical war
farS service. In his annual report to
the Secretary Of War.
"rhs past year has been remarkable"
says Gen. Fries. "for the growth OF un-
derstanding Of the fundamental imnor,
taace Of chemistry In peace and In war.
With t:lat growth OF undoretandlne mas
come 4 realization that the activities OF
peace and the activities Of war are no
longer capable Of conplsts segregation.
The wars, Of today and those OF the 1o-.
ture will involve every activity OF q na-
ton ana every tnhabitAnt or thAS nation:
At the outbreak Of war nations Will
mobiliss their man power ana tnoar M nj
dustrial power and win strive With al
their facilities 70 md q means that VIII
win, and whsn tas life Of . nation III. at
etake no method Of warfare that prom
isss results Will 90: Unused. Z
PrepafNtisn Must CsnttAeee
S.Recentfy the fs4itng has besm krow-
inr tf,nt the burden Of preparattott ZOE
war - too great and that expensive
forms Of armament can be reduced py
sgre ement. Expensive forms % 9rms-
ment may be kept down. out. suitable
he kept up, Chemical preparedness ID
the cheapest method Of preparation for
dofenee. and recent developments indl--
rate that II IL one Of the moet e1Sctlye.
Indeed, the ontstanding result ot oomo-
Ine tests recently carried On mas peSa
the reslizstion that tns ae.s1ss a.. VI M IN
seacoast against an enemy tna1 moS
cross the ocean has become immsasura-
bly, strengthened.
"Prfor to the world war the subma-
rine had already made the old-tasn-
ioned blockade OF . port tmpossiote
Today and In the future. with the sao,
marine augmented by the airpiane ana
chemical warfare materials. heets can
not approach a coast With sstety
unle 81 they can carry sumc1ent alf.
planes to overcome the land air force:
'.The evolution OF armament ana
materials Of war 10 a more rapid proc
ess today than it ha. ever been pc.
changes in armament more radfea!
than ever occurred in q similar period
Of history. The conference on ltmitS-
ton OF ornaments will but hasten
that end. Nevertheless, we must not
delude ourselves with the idea that
any particular method OF warfare can
be abolished by agreement until all
warfare can be abolished. .
'Chemical warfare materials. n well
as high explosives. are fundamentally
bound up with the synthetic organic
chemical industry-an important part
Of the peace life Of a nation. The de-
velopment Of this industry automati-
cally provides nation with the most
effective " eapon for defense. The ma.
tton that has q coal supply sufficient
to furnish power and coal-tar Prod.
ucts can make all high explosives aad
war gases needed or that can be used.
and with the development Of an Ell
cient air service. such q nation can,
at . minimum expense, defend fts
shores against any enemy.
LAS warfare becomes more t-ompli.
Gated, intelligence and science becune
of greater value, and every develop
inent of science that makes warfare
more universal and more scientific
makes for permanent peace through
making war intolerab1-."