Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-04-23
BY JOSEPHUS DANIELS,
Former Secretary of the Navy.

Copyright. 1921, by John f. Ollie.
Copyright by National Newspaper Serv-
ice. Copyright in Great Britain, Canada
and throughout France. All rights re-
served, including translation into for
eign languages, including the Scandi-
nayian. Unauthorized reprlnting for any
purpose forbidden.
ARTICLE 10.
The miracle of wireless made it
possible for the United States to
fight a war on the other side Of the
world without losing contact with
her soldiers and ships for longer
than three hours out of any twenty
four.
Measuring distance in terms Of
space, Washington was separated by
5000 miles Of water from the fight
ing forces Of the United States in
France.
But measuring distance in terms of
time, Washington was in closer touch
with its army of the Meuse-Argonne
in 1878 than it was with the army
of the Potomac in 1861-65.
From one room in the Navy Depart
ment-the transocean room, we called II
we could communicate with almost any
country in western Europe
This room had direct connection with
the high-pOwer sending stations at An
napolis, Sayville, L. l., and New Bruins
wick and Tuckerton, y. J. Messages
flung from these stations were picked up
IN France and speeded on over a net
work of land wires and telephones to
any point where It was possible to place
a receiving instrument-from the rear
areas TO the trenches.
WHAT MIGHT
HAVE HAPPENED?
The tremendous advantage afforded by
this means Of communication may be the
better appreciated by Postulating two
ifs
II the submarine telegraph had been
the only method of immediate communi-
cation and
II the Germans had cut the cables
What might have happened5
Nobody can say what might have hap
pened. 1t would have been potentially
dangerous situation and one Of sore trial
for Washington and the American people.
Things moved so quickly and complete
transformations occurred with such
amazing suddenness, that telegraphic isO-
IAtion from Europe for twenty-fOur hours
might have been fraught with most seri-
GUS consequences. There were occasions
when critical questions came up, and
( prompt decisions were required. 1t was
of supreme importance then that there
should be direct, instantaneous and IN
interrupted communication between
Washington and London or Paris or
Chaumont or any other Of the vital cen
ters Of control and direction.
As a matter OF fact the Germans did
cut some Of the cables, but that was the
least Of our worries, once we had de
veloped a complete system Of wireless
communication.
MARVELLOUS SYSTEM
HAD BEEN PLANNED.
Had the war run into the year 1919
we would have had in operation the most
marvellous instrumentality for gather
ing and disseminating intelligence that
human genius has yet conceived.
Planned in 1917, this greatest of wire
less plants was approaching completion
when hostilities ended. Work was then
discontinued, but later was resumed and
completed last year
The United States Navy undertook the
erection of the wireless station and strUc-
ture at Croix d'Hins, near Bordeaux, and
named the completed plant the La Fay
cite.
It Is today, and is likely to be for
years to come, the most powerful radio
system in existence. When It was put in
to operation the following radiogram, ad-
dressed to me, came vibrating into the
transocean room Of the Navy Depart
ment:
l. - N~-N -.
heard around the world and marks a
milestone on the road OF scientific achieve
ment.
LA FAYETTB RADIO STATION"
LA FAYETTE STATION
LEADS THE WORLD.
The message is no empty boast II
states a simple fact, but a fact Of which
every American may be proud. The La
Fayette radio station Is the only radio
, station in the world that can belt the
globe with its electrified ether waves.
An inscription has been placed upon
the main building of the plant, the ex-
act words Of which l will give you pres
emily, but sometimes think a briefer in
scription might have been better. For
example:
"I have annihilated distance. I have
made the remotest corner of the world
my neXt-doOr neighbor."
There is no spot anywhere on the
earths surface where, If a high power
station existed, a message sent from the
La Fayette would not be instantly re
ceived.
France gave America the immortal
work OF BarthOldi Liberty Enhghten-
ing the World" America has given
France. through the genius and enter
prise of her Navy fin de siecle vo ria -
ton on the same theme.
When the tidings of human progress,
of commerce and industry and science
and politics flash from La Fayette to the
high power stations of two hemispheres,
CONTINUED on Page Four)