Secret Work by Naval Officer.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 27 September 1917, Page 4

Secret Work by Naval Officer.

4 The promotion of C-aptuin Nibluck, of the American Navy, to the rank of Rear-Admiral, has led to the disclosure of the fact that it was through this officer that the United States possessed valuable confidential data before the war abouf'thc Gorman Navy, and was given timely wanting of Germany's plans to use submarines against merchant vessels, when war occurred Early in 1913 Captain Niblack, then naval attache at the American Embassy in Berlin informed the American Naval Intelligence Department that "very suspicious signs" were observable in connection with German submarine construction. O.ue of the "signs" seems f.o have been the extreme difficulty lie expe.rhinci.'d in learning anything abiout Geriuaa'.y's submarines, compared with t"Jie lavish manner in which the raaval authorities furnished him with, information about Dreadnoughts, cruisers, and armaments. 8o he begun to investigate for himself. He collected all the available text books on navy matters in Germany, England and'. France, xmd found that in no instance was aaiy accurate information givon even as to the number of submarine s which Germany had under construction or con- j templated building. He (ixamincd all the data lie could gather* concerning proposed naval legislation in the Reichstag, but hero, too, found I;he submarine feature clothed in mystory. All his efforts to ascertain even approxinmt- j the details of Germanj r 's' submarine building programme was unsuccessful, but he discovered what tfco his mind was something far more important. This was that the Germans had a secret plan to use the ;Bub. marines as a chief factor in tb.e event cf war. It does not appear that the United States Government made a:uy use of the information it received on this point. That it was not ; ungrateful however, is shown by tlit fact that Captain Niblact 's promotion iwas a recognition of his service to liis country in giving warning; of the possible future danger which so soon became a reality.