Evening star., 1923-12-20
GERMANY BUYING
. GUNS IN ENGLAND
Large Credit for Arms Be.
Iieved to Have Been Estab-
IiShed in London.
BY SIDNEY THATCHER.

By Radio TO The Star and Philadelphia Public
ledger. Copyright, 1913.
LONDON, December 19.-Agents are
In England attempting to purchase
great numbers of Lee Enfield rifles.
large quantities of ammunition for
them and khaki cloth by the ton.
Secret service operatives who have
had these men under observation are
convinced they are buying for Ger
many and information l have obtain
ed from other sources bears out that
copviction.
Investigation of the activities of
these individuals carries one along
the familiar route of gun-running,
whether il be a small lugger load for
band of malcontents in a Central
American republic or big shipload
for Ireland, but on a much larger
scale.
Large Credit Established.
In this case it includes large
credit established in a British bank
Coincident as far as l can ascertain,
with the recent visit of Or. Cuno, for
mer German chancellor. to London:
the purchase of two steamships at
Bristol; the actual shipment Of ESQ
COO Lee-Enfields to France. under cir
rumstances that have caused sus-
eral thousand of them to the Balkans;
the usual attitude of agents that the
price is a secondary ConSiderat tion if
they can get the stuff and, what is
very important, get permits for the
expectation of quantities too large to
attempt to get out of the country sur
reptitiously. That is not difficult
under English regulations as 1t might
be in other countries.
About two weeks ago while these
Investigations were under way, but
at the time had not developed Sufti-
ciently for publication, there was is
. sued here an unusual official state
ment to the effect that Germany was
arming to the fullest extent of her
ability. 1t was sent out by a semi
official news agency and distributed
all over the world. 1t caused such a
furore in England that the foreign
office issued an absolute denial, first
that it had not had anything to do
and. second. that official reports did
not bear out the allegation it con-
tanned.
Secrecy Surrounds Seals.
The purchasing of arms, however,
was going on at the time and be
leved to be for Germany, but evil
IDENTIFY the investigators had not
reached a point where they consid
cred they had sufficient information
to warrant an official report. How
ever. as there is no way to connect
the purchase of arms officially with
the German government, the matter
would technically be taken out of the
realms of officialdOm.
All deals made or contemplated are
Ostensibly of a private nature which
make it more or less easy to obtain
export licenses. For instance. under
a strict Interpretation of English eX
port laws there is no authority to
prevent any one from exporting arms
TO a private concern il reasonable as
surancc can be given that they are
not destined for the use Of rebels
against friendly power In that
respect the English law is more len
lent than that of any other great
power. 1t may or may not be because
England. in the past, was the great
est manufacturer of war material
from battle cruisers TO small rifles for
her own and many other armies and
navieS
Know Chief of Agents.
About the time of the arrival OF
Or. CunO in England there appeared
an Individual who claimed British
ritizenanIp. who is believed to have
seems TO he the guiding genius in
procuring the supplies. II is known
he approached dealers in Tottenham
Court road and one other in another
section of London with d proposition
TO take huge quantities of Khaki
cloth and he made offers To buy COM
plete uniforms if, as stipulated, they
were of uniform color.
The negotiations for the purchase
of two ships at Bristol can also be
traced to that individual. If the
British government adheres strictly
to It's regulations it would not be Diff
hcult to get a permit for the ship