The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-09
By LAUST RASMUSSEN Danish Minister of Defense

W1tn three ana quarter inllilOu lIl- habitants, and on account of her geo. graphical position, Denmark is, from a military point of view, the most i'm potent country in Europe. Denmarks s coast line is longer than that of France, and even with the utmost exertions the country would be absolutely powerless against any serious attack.
 During the World war the military arrangements in Denmark were founded on an act of 1909 based almost entire on a defense against attacks from land and sea on Copenhagen, the capital.
 Aginst the position of the social demo- crats and the radical left party this ar- engagement was carried through by the two conservative parties the right and the left, which parties at that time con- manded a majority in the two chambers of the rigsdag-the Folketinget (the lower house) and landstinget (the upper house).
 It was stated in the remarks accom- panying the defense bill in 1909 that the primary object was to secure Copen- hagen against an attack
 When the World war broke out the minister of war asked the commander in chief of the navy for information about the defense arrangements against naval attck on Copenhagen. He was told the navy would not be able to pre- vent a bombardment of that part of Copenhagen between the sea and the town hall square-the part in which the king has his residence, and in which the rigsdag and the army and navy's stores are situation.
 As regards land defense, the comman- der in chief of the army wrote;
 There are various defects in respect of the Qualifications of Copenhagen which no system of work can remedy, as 1t is impossible to secure the town against bombardment of heavier guns."
 At the outbreak of the war Denmark was asked by Germpy to lay mines in the fairway through the Great Belt the only free passage to the Baltic for ships of deep draught.
 Belt Mined During War
 In Denmark opinion was divided on this request. If the request had been declined there is every reason to believe that in 1914 a conflict with Germany would have arisen.
 However, the government laid mines --'and during the whole World war pass- age through the Great Belt was impos- sible for warships.
 That this request was made rather in order to gage Denmark's feelings to- wards Germany, than because any great defensive importance was attached to it, appears clearly from the fact that far tl1er down the belt the German navy laid strong mine field. Prince Heinrich, the commander-in-chief of the German Baltic fleet, wrote of the Danish mining sfter the war:
 'To persistent opponent these mines did not offer special difficulties for an attack on the Bay of Kiel (the base of the German fleet). Armed opposition on the part of the Danish ships could not be expected and would not have presented any actual obstacle"
 Thus it appears now that in 1914 the defensive arrangements of 1908 would have been entirely inefficient for Denmark. So the two conservative parties, directly after the war, proposed encouragement of the defense system which was carried through in 1922 and is still in force.
 As the war demonstrated that a di- rect defense of Copenhagen exceeded our strength, the idea was now entirely abandoned. The main force of the army was transferred to Jutland, the port of the country which is contiguous to Ger many. The strength of the army was considerably reduced - only 1000 men were trained annually, as against 10,- % formerly.
 At the time when the new military arrangement was carried through it was denounced by a number of officers ill the army. In the Officers Gazette il was stated that the arrangement in time of peace would swallow a lot of money to no purpose, and that in war streams of blood would be. shed in vain.
 Now Spends $10,OOO,O A Year
 This review of the past is necessary to give the reader a perspective on the disarmament proposal.
 The defensive arrangement now in force entails an expenditure of 60 mil lion kroner ($10,0O0,000) for the army and navy. A comparison shows that Denmark, whose annual budget bal ances with about 450 million kroner does not range with the countries whose military expenditure is highest. But it is the opinion of the social democrats that our present military arrangement would not prevent a violation of Den marks neutrality or keep us out of warlike entanglements.
 Indeed, taugh by experience from the great war we have seen that for oul country, so weak from a military point of view, a military arrangement such as the present one embodies only dan