San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-26
HARbORD SAYS 4
YObS CD ONLY
ITO AMERICANS.
Radio Corporation Head
Makes Citizenship Requi-
p. site for Work.
MEETS A CRITICISM
Navy Does Not Relish Alien
!. Management Previous
/, ly Existing.
MEETS A CRITICISM
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

ly major general IN tne Ahelle"H 70
peditionary Forces. and now president
of the Radio Corporation of America
that all employees of the company must
be American citizens and that those
who "do not want TO be naturailzed
are at liberty to leave" has maze
profound impression here where IL Is
recognized as significant sequei 10
the stories that have been afloat ever
since the war that the British con-
trolled the radio facilities OF Inc
world directly or indirectly.
There's an interesting tale behind
these rumors. Congress passed It's
present laws taking the American
navy out of the radio business ana
encouraging private capital to take
over stations built during the war,
largely in the belief that Americas
military and naval interests could be
protected by insisting that the radio
companies operating here must be
= american owned. !
Originally the American Marconi
company was a British concern and
when it was recognized under the
name of the Radio Corporation or
America, it is true that the majority
of the stock was held by American
citizens. in fact, the United Fruit
company, the American Telephone
and Telegraph company and the
General Electric company together
exercised the control, but it so hap
pened that many of the officers of the
company were English or Canadian.
Many of the original Marconi EN-
ployes were retained.
Stormy Meetings for Board.
Some of the men in the Navy De-
partment here who saw the American
Radio Corporation taking over exist.
ing, stations did not like the idea OF
alien management, in fact, while the
owners were American, the actual OPP
erations of the company was repeated
" said to be in the hands of the citl-
gems Of the British Empire. Rumor
has it that several stormy meetings OF
-Nthe board of directors of the American
Radio Corporation were held in which
the viewpoint of the American navy
was heard from, but it was not until
Major General Hartford resigned as
assistant chief of staff of the United
States army to accept the presidency
of the American Radio Corporation
that people here felt secure about the
management of radio communication
with foreign countries. /
The step taken by General Harbord
therefore is not surprising for 1t means
he intends to follow TO the letter the
wishes of the American owners of the
Radio Corporation that the company
be operated in consonance with Amer
lean naval desires. The very appoint
ment of General Hartford carried with
it an assurance that radio communi-
cation would be established with the
rest of the world on a basis that would
prevent international i'll will. For the
Radio Corporation has begun opera
tons in many parts Of the world and
has linked its system with the inter-
nal telegraph lines of many countries.
I. At the present stage of world affairs,
an American company has a greater
chance to establish close relations with
foreign governments than concerns
from any of the other Allied coun- |
tries.
Will Solve Many Problems.
The Radio Corporation will in time |
find itself the main avenue of COM
munication, for instance, between Ger |
many and the United States as the !
French and British do not seem will
ing as yet TO give American cable |
companies the necessary access to Ger |
many by direct lines. Radio Corpora |
tion connections are being established |
in South America and in time the |
present inadequate communication |
across the Pacific will be improved
by the use of radio. Delays to cables |
in the Pacific have interfered serious
" with the growth of trans-Pacific |
l trade and while the American navy |
|SssT present helping out. ultimately |
private concerns must undertake the !
Job for under present laws the Ameri- |
can navy can accept messages only be- |
tween points at which private COM
panies are unable to handle the bust |
ness. Difficulties at present with the |
| Chinese government over American !
concessions for the erection of wireless |
stations are due. it is said. largely |
| 10 the influence of certain foreign in
terests. The American Radio Cor
poration is perhaps the largest concern
of its kind in the world. 1t has ar
angements with the internal telegraph |
distribution systems Of France and
Great Britain as well as Germany and
will cover the European continent in
time with other connections. In |
America it has affiliated itself with |
the Postal Telegraph company which |
lcI W dIuS OF ulStTlDuteS most OIL tne
radiograms received or sent to coast
sta tons.
The fight for American control and
Operation of foreign communications
had its reflex in the controversy over
cables and it was not until certain
British connections of the Western
Union gave up monopolies which were
said to have disseminated against
American cable companies in South
america that official permission was
given by the United States govern
meDt for the landing of new cables on
the Florida coast connecting this coun-
try and South America. Most of the
Fable lines of the world are British
owned. or British controlled. The
radio business lends itself to foreign
domination because of the natural
connections that must be formed with
various countries of the world, but
the step taken By General Harbord
means that while the Radio Corpora
ion will not discriminate against for
eign countries its operations from
SitSir-vill hereafter be entirely Amer
}anized and no one who is not a citi-
Sn viii be hired except by special per