Evening star., 1922-06-04

radio sense, prior to the outbreak
of the war in Europe, in August.
1914. by the establishment two years
earlier. of the super-high- power
radio station at Sayville. Long Island.
y. Y, To work with a similar gov
ernment owned and operated tion
at Nauen, in tiermany. thereby in
fringing. not oar zealously guarded
Monroe doctrin.. but our very status
as a sovereign 'ation.
The assertion is not made that our
position as sovereign state was
thereby challenged. AS ii matter OF
fact, our statutes did not then. nor
do they now, prohibit such action.
Moreover, a station license was
issued by our government covering
the operation of the Sayville sta
tion and Iic-'nses also were granted
to the Gc' man opera who op
Grated il.
The esta1 lishmcnr oG German super
htgh-pow.r r radio stations within the
United states may be .>iewed rather
in the light Of one phase of the
keen riv dry then existing between
the Ger nan and r;rI..Sh empires.
with the United states as part of
the field "pvtatIcrs-
y fbl IL cunt '!4-'" super -iliS~I-
power rau @ station had also been
eSta bliShcd WITHIN tn" i:i;ed states.
located at New BrunSw -c.,. \. J.. for
tranSa lantic service. and three
others We're under co. s,ruction. a
similar St4ti, n al Marion. Mass. and
stations at i'olIuaS. calf. and IA
huku. IIaua an islands. the latter
Two stations :ui. tlaHsr"ciiic service.
\ second German S,at.un was un-
der construction at Tt.- ,<trtnn. y j.
mi lr,I n
ported from Germany. os,- Esibly Tor
operation ny = Ffcncn company. but
which upon C"Hplet."a. subsequent
to the rutn Cak al no>t!lltleS IN
Europe. was claimed b; the Germans
and operated. for time. by German
operators.
the Eritis 1-controlled stations We're
the prupert- of the Marconi Wireless
Telegraph Company OF America, a
company affiliated with the British
Marconi C:mpany. the stock of which
American company was largely held
hy BritiS's subjects. and consequently
the policy of the company being
sway,.d 4 not directed, by British in
tcrcSts.
This ,,mpany was understood to
have ttp same general relation to the
parent company. the British Marconi
tompa. - as did oth,r MarcOni COM
panitS Operating outside of the Brit
ish Isles. such as concerns known as
the Belgian Marconi Company. the
Canadian Marconi Company and
others.
As strictly commercial ventures
there could. of course. be no objec-
lions to TIN. establishment of Such
super hi2 power radio stations
within our territory. but certainly no
justification may be pat iUrward Tor
thu IreSenCt Wit hin our borders OF
foreiss3 owned or foreign controlled
radio stations as military assets. and
that military use Will ue made of such
facilities where they exist. in extreme
S.ntrgCuCics iS in, e.! aJle.
SIt is certain that gu. government
or an American COMMERCIAL concern.
even # either had been 50 inclined,
would not have been pcrC2itted to es-
tablish a superb. @h power radio sta
tion at Hamburg. tur example. To
work with our Arlington station.
Ir-p .ht outbreak OF war in Eu-
rope III. New Brunswick station was
render. imperative. - the Eritsh
government prohibited the exchange
of radio messages through this sta
ton witt the GORE y, UJlinS station
at Carnarvon. wales. as ;he trans
atlantic cables wer, available to the
allies for communicating with this
c"untry. and the cable seriice was
found to he adequate at that time.
The central powers. however. were
promptly isolated as far as the eX-
change OF rapid communications with
North and South America Asia, .
Africa ana the "a TEL I-dI VI E-ui 'p' .
was concerned. due TO the prompt cut
ting by the allies of all of her trans ,
ocean cables and the SeverIng OF other
channels of mmunlcation-eXcep !
through the German radio stations.
The. radio channels could not be
DESTROYED or made imperative except
by the destruction of the radio sta
tions themselves, and the destruction
of the SayVille station by the allies
would have involved an actual armed
,S-I,, Of n1Ir TO
Meanwhile every pCSiblr effoIt was
made by the Germans to pass an
enormous volume of radio trafhc
through the NaUen, the SayVllle. ana !
subsequently the Tuckerton. stations:
III, ssa ges destined to points on land
as well as TO their WarshipS at sea !
The German warShips in American
and Mexican waters We're actually
apprised Of the outbreak of the war
through the Sayville station.
a very embarra ssing situation was
created for our government. as the
question of the maintenance OF neu-
trality on our part was directly IN
Volved.
Eventually it was found necessary
and long before our entrance into the.
war-to supplement the established
censorship of radio messages pass |
ing through the stations by the re-
pla CEN ont of the German admins !
trativc and operating personnel by
personnel of the United States Navy.
Upon our entrance into the war all
radio stations not owned by the
United States government were taken |
over bodily and intrusted TO the care |
of the Navy by presidential procla- |
nation.
Thus, as victim of circumstances,
so 10 speak. the nation had had |
thrust into its own hands the control !
and mana cement of the vitality i'm |,
portant radio stations and radio Serv- |
ices situated within. or operated from |
within, its own borders.
But this control would only be tenn =,
porary and must terminate with the |
cessation of hostilities.
The Sayville station was eventually |
acquired by the Navy through the |
Office of the alien enemy property |
custodian, and the Tuckerton station |
became a subject of legal contention |
as to its ownership. |
The four Marconi super-high power |
stations. however. obviously would go |
back to their owners upon the con-
cluSiOn of peace. and these stations, |
together with the affiliated MarcOni |
stations in various countries and the |
projected British imperial chain of |
high power stations, which was to |
link Australia with London by radio !
through intermediate stations at
Singapore, Bombay and Cairo, with !
circuits branching off to Hongkong !
and other important world points |
would form such powerful radio |
combination that it would forever be !
impossible to interest American capi- |
tai i'm the formation of a strictly !
American radio company for the eX-
change of radio traffic with foreign !
nations and even with our own dis /
taut possessions.