AUTOMATIC EXPLOSION THREAT.

Shannon News, 4 August 1925, Page 2

AUTOMATIC EXPLOSION THREAT.

■Remarkable disclosures of the methods employed by the Government, army officers, and olh cials of armament factories to prevent members of the Inter-Allic--"Military Commission of Control free; inspecting Germany’s military comt tion are contained in the report, c; the commission which was issued 1 Ithe Foreign Office recently. The report, signed, by the distilg’uished French soldier, Gcnei, Walch (the president of the Comn i:; Sion) and other Allied Generals, lclated Berlin, February 15, 1025. It formed the basis for the Abiec Note to Germany, which set out tin complete list of German defaults in connection • with the disarmament clauses of the Treaty ot Versailles and the measures which Germany must take to rectify them befon Cologne can be evacuated. In thiVoio the Allied Governments ap rtoaled earnest, y to German good will.

Sharp Resistance. General Walch’s report, which covers inspections from September. 1924, to last January, says that the

results of the Allied officers’ investigations and visits to arms factories and military establishments showed '.hat since 19 22 the military situation of Germany has been modified olioslightly. The report says-

"The Commission encountered • harp resistance on the part of the German military authorities. Tin German Government urged that tin Commission asked to see too great a number of files; it must content itseli with indicating beforehand the number and the date of the documen which it desired to see, aivd the Geruan services would ascertain whethe Ibis document existed or not. “Thi s theory was not acceptable, and the Commission tried two experiments,

“In. the first the control officer? volunt'ecrt d to designate one document explicitly and to be satisfied with the verification of its existence or non-existence on condition tluu this verification should take place in their- presence. The German authorities refused.

“In the second, the control officers having in this case clearly defined by number and date of the documen. they had in view, it was handed to them, but they had scarcely begun to go through it when they wire requested to return it without reaiding further. blight Hours’ Wait at Ihksuam, “On certain visits there was delay in presenting- documents; in others —-bearing especially on the question if effectives —the controlled authorities limited or refused their collaboration; in respect of coast batteries, they forbade the verification of the dimensions of certain concrete installations and declared that plans ot •ortified works previously supplied by them were inaccurate. Frequent ly <he keys of premises to lie visited could be found only aftei a long delay, and sometimes even access to the premises was refused. “During a ’ visit at Potsdam on December 12 to some stables near the Cavalry Regiment barracks which are almost entirely occupied by the orderlies and chargers of officers of this regiment, . the contro' officers were compelled to wait in vain for eight consecueive hours fo-. admittance to some premises, said to be let to an individual who could not be found all day, but in which, however. war material could be seen from ■he outside. “It: was even .intimated that Inbreaking- in the door an automaticexplosive device would have bees set off. Through the Windimv. “On the other hand, the factory a: Wittenau provides an example proving that even seals placed on the doors of suspected buildings did not in any way prevent the removal o* material, which in this particular case was removed through the glass windows giving light to the premises. “Another significant fact is that E has been possible to take proceedings on the charge of high (reason against, the authors of certain articles in th* Press denouncing infractions of the treaty and against individuals suspected of having- revealed the existence of secret depots, and it has even been possible to pass heavy sentence' on them. Of not less significance is a comparison of this severity with (he leniency shown by the same authorities and the same tribunals to associations the activities of which are contrary to the provisions of iho treaty.

It would be difficult to explain such an attitude if Germany felt that she mas aetingli in conformity with her obligations from the military point of view. It mplies the exist mice of secret measures of deliberate dissimulation foremost among which are the oiiliiary training of youth and fne secret surplus of armaments and of war material.” The report sets out a list of measures in which Germany has complied with tlie treaty. These, as well as a summary of defaults, were contained in the annexes to the Allied Note.