Evening star., 1944-06-20
Nozi Secret Weapon
Long Known to u. S.
First Mentioned by Wilson
in 1919, Observer Recalls
BY David Laurence


in 1919, Observer Recalls
By David Laurence
Germany's so-called secret" weapon
has been known not only to our scien-
fists but to our Government for more
than Is years.
In fact, information about 1t was pub
licly disclosed by President Wilson in q
speech delivered by him at Denver Colo,
on September Is, 1919. He said:
stop for moment to think about
the next war, If there should be one.
I do not hesitate to say that the war we
have just been through, though it was
shot through with terror of every kind,
is not to be compared with the war we
would have to face next time.
There we're destructive gases there
were methods of explosive destruction
unheard of even during this war. which
were just ready for use when the war
ended-great projectiles that guided
themselves and, shot into the heavens
went for hundred miles and more and
then burst tons of explosives upon help
less cities, something to which the guns
with which the Germans bombarded
Paris from a distance were not COM
parable.
What the Germans used were toys
as compared with what would be used
In the next war. Ask any soldier II he
wants to go through He'll like that
again. The soldiers know what the next
war would be. They know what the in
ventions were that were just about to
be used for the absolute destruction of
ance against barbaric reversal of civil
ization."
Day Before His Breakdown.
Mr. Wilson made that speech in an
effort to get the country to listen to his
plea for the League of Nations. 1t was
delivered on the day before he suffered
a physical breakdown causing his I'M
mediate return to Washington.
Mr.. Wilson's primary idea was that
the people who had just gone through a
frightful war would be concerned about
the possibility of another horrible con-
fict. But the reaction of the people was
one of apathy. They were convinced at
the time that no nation would be strong
enough after the exhausting ordeal of
the World War to rise again. They
believed that all the governments of the
world would be vigilant to protect them
selves against such contingency.
Mr.. Wilson's mission failed but his
of
true. Likewise, the weapons of this war
are just as terrifying as he predicted.
But it is evident that this kind of an
argument was not effective then and
probably will not be effective again.
For in the past week another great
weapon has been revealed to the public
the B-29. Most of the emphasis of the
moment is concerned with the possible
destruction of Japan by thousands of
these Super Fortresses. Very few people
are stopping to think about the fact
that Super Fortress can fly in both
directions. If it can go 5000 miles in one
direction and then back, 1t can go in
another. Super Fortresses in a third
world war some day could come from
Europe, drop bombs on the United
States and return to their bases in the
Eastern Hemisphere without stopping
The concept of "One World" which
was SO dramatically stressed by Wendell
Willkie, has met with derision in many
quarters, just as back in 1919 there was
derision when Woodrow Wilson tried to
point out what was coming in a second
world war.
Development In Infancy.
The development of the Super For
tress, of course, Is in its infancy. Like
wise, the projectiles which the Germans
have launched across the English Chan
mel are capable of much more develop
ment. Undoubtedly the British and
American governments have been re-
strained as much by humanitarian rea-
sons as any other from using the projec-
tiles.
At the outbreak of the present war
both Britain and the United States did
not contemplate the bombing of cities
and hoped to confine bombing to mill
tary objectives without injuring nom
combatants. But gradually the difficulty
of separating the two became apparent
so that today noncombatants are being
killed by both SIDES in areas where mill
tary installations are struck from the
air.
The possibility that pilotless planes
will be sent greater distances than across
the English Channel is, of course, con-
ceded by scientists. Weapons of more
and more deadliness have been worked
upon in the laboratories from time to
time. Hardly anything, however which
has been invented in the present war is
assured of complete offensive strength.
Counterdefenses and weapons are usu-
ally perfected. The advantage, however,
lies with the nation which uses the new
weapons before the enemy can catch up.
1t is thus conceded that many of the
latest devices used by our own armed
forces are not difficult to copy, but it
will take the enemy considerable time
to design them and the materials are
lacking for quantity production by the
enemy. From our own standpoint, a
weapon is effective not because of any
secrecy connected with it, but because
of our widespread use of the weapon
before the enemy can develop counter
vailing means of defense.
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