Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1923-07-21
TELLS GERMAN
BLUNDERS IN war
y. S. Intelligence Chief Relates
Some War Time Secrets,
BAD MISTAKE At IIEGE

HlAUE DRU Milo AkE III uEUE
Interesting inside facts regarding
blunders In the World war due to mis-
Information supplied by intelligence
agents were disclosed by Capt. Luke
McNamee, chief Of the Office of naval
intelligence, in an address heard by
Secretary DENLY and members Of the
congressional party en- route to Pana-
ma to attend the naval feet maneu-
vers.
Captain McNamee. who was sta
toned In London during the war on
service In the war planning section,
also dealt with some of the achieve.
ments Of the British navy as result
Of accurate naval intelligence. and told
OF the early acquisition and dissem.
ination Of information which resulted
In prompt measures by the British
navy In connection with the battle Of
Dogger Bank.
Commenting on the methods used
for keeping track Of the German sub
marines, Captain McNamee said:
Frequently their detailed orders
were known by the British before the
subs left port. How this was done
must, in some Of the most interesting
cases, remain secret. Agents in ad-
Joining neutral ports were great help.
but the ramifcations Of espionage
reached into the highest quarters. Had
Germany been victorious there might
have been some interesting house
cleaning In Berlin; but, after the over.
throw Of q government. traitors have
way Of getting transformed into pa
triots.
without such an estimate" said
Captain McNamee. I'VE cannot make
sound strategical plan Of campaign"
After review Of what had actually
been done in the way. Of naval and
military intelligence during the World
war. Captain McNamee limited at the
possible use OF ''secret radio" In the
next wharf.-the sending Of radio mes
sages secretly in such manner that
they might be picked up by the send
er's own feet but remain q secret to
the enemy.
II am not speaking Of what is de-
sirable Theoretically" said Captain
McNamee, "but Of what was actually
done In the World war. and we can be
sure that all that Is capable Of vast
Improvement today. It may be that
the one chief source of information,
the radio, will In the next great war
be entirely lost to us Secret radio
is well within the possibilities. The
advantage Of exclusive possession Of
such apparatus needs mo comment"
Captain McNamee cited some mis-
takes of official Germany in the war
to support his contention that the four
great factors-military, political, eco
nomic and psychological-were 20 in
terlocked that no sound war plan could
be devised without a careful estimate
Of all the Information bearing on each
factor.
Nations In Arms In Modern War.
Captain McNamee declared that the
day had passed when armies or
navies made war while the mass of
the people enjoyed their normal life
Of peace. Modern war, he said. meant
nation In arms, with every industry
and activity mobilized to win the vic
tory. &
"Take Germany, for example. Her
organization for war assumed to be
the last word in human or superhuman
efficiency. Yet she failed to estimate
correctly the necessary period for Rus
sian mobilization. resulting in some
thing Of a panic at headquarters and
the detachment Of two corps from Won
Ruck's army marching on Paris In
order that they might hasten to the
protection Of East Prussia. where they
were not needed Had they remained
with Won Kluck Paris might have
fallen, with what further results we
can conjecture.
''That the German. feet. especially
the submarines. did not interfere with
the passage Of the British expedition
airy force was due to a grave blunder
In the German intelligence service.
That service was put out of business
just at time when it was most crit
ically needed. The arrest Of practi.
cally every German secret agent In,
England on the day war was declared.
81 In all, was due to the knowledge
Of the British secret service that one
Karl Gustave Ernst, baker In the
Caledonian road, acted as central post
Office for German espionage letters.
He was paid only pound month to
drop letters in the box. The exam.
ination of this one box was all that
was necessary to locate every German
spy In England. Won Tirpitz COM
planned of the lack Of information OF
the sailing of the expeditionary force.
and he had just cause for complaint.
It is hard to conceive Of clumsier ar
rangement or of any system of espion-
age that would leave the discovery Of
an agent to depend on the opening Of
letter, or the search ola single post
box.
"Another great military error was
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