| Show i D 1 I Disarmament t 1 1 By JAMES T. T SHOTWELL Distinguished Historian of the World War American to the sessions of the military subcommittee on disarmament have now left Geneva and the next approach to the th-e problem lem will be by the diplomats That they hold the key to the problem is the opinion given here Experts have hae Implied Implied- that tIre the full solution arthe of ar the armament problem would QuId hamper the free movement of ar modern science nce since ince the potential armament of af a n nation means the full tull use of in invention In- In and discovery in Industry or ar chemistry But you ou cant can't stop slop science The chemist has only anly to change the formula b bS the slightest part and his factories for fertilizer become factories for explosives ex ex- ex- ex plosives yet et the factories are proper for the maintenance main maln- nan tenane e and development de of or national prosperity Some factories In a certain country are turning out every da day o of ot tire the year rear a thousand tons of nitrate of ammonia which in a ver very v very ry short time could be transformed into a thousand tons tonsa a day of af high explosives Those are the proper developments of or science It would be utterly ridiculous ridiculous ridic ridic- ulous for modern civilization to attempt to curb that most beneficial development of human intel Intel- But there surely aurely I Is something el els else The record from every capital of Europe reveals that alongside the political governments in every state tate there were the essential organs of or defense the national army with its general staff and there came a moment when the deadly time table of the general taff was to take over the movements mo of ar events and supplant the political judgment and action that moved by way of diplomacy Now I those men In Berlin and in Pe Petrograd who were responsible for the Uie safety of or their p peoples aples at a given glnn moment turned to the deadly time table The existence of af that e exigency In my judgment brought the tie war var The The- technical for forthe forthe forWe th-e th defense fenEe of ot the nation as It organized what one might call the first line of f defense developed so 50 that the war wu- was ultimately brought on to the world simply by a transference of responsibility into the hands of the general staf staff That is the Kind of thing thing- which people sense as a danger in armaments i It Isn't a development of f fertilizers or drugs I suppose the pressing problem of the day is a problem of the a adjustment of af the period during dUling widen which the tho exi existing active forces the striking forces of af a nation natian can be brought braught into action adlan That means t at In dealing with any armaments that can can be reduced at present we should s concen concen- not upon the creative chemistry or industrial efficiency but upon the agencies at the moments moment's disposal which may be thrown Into the battlefIeld battlefield battlefield battle battle- field and If se security is a state of mind mind for for no nation natlan is wholly secure then secure then that state of mind can be he surely induced by a proper handling of the disarmament question that deals with the first line Une of af defense Armaments of this I kind have been built up by political action adion not by military lY action Their creation Is due to political judgments Is the political judgment to have anything to say with reference ef rence then to their handling and their possible limitation or or reduction It would s seem m that the method and the degree of or the establishment establishment establish establish- ment of oC ratios is a matter for the technician but the political judgment is to say whether or not we are to proceed d toward these theae ratios To achieve results demand n n. n in 1 nd 1 j matic act It can never come f from a t the t technician hl i In the nature of the case it must come came from those who represent the will vill of the people peaple who are dumbly conscious of the danger that lu lurks cs where efficiency of of killing is so developed Only from that tha angle Js is there a possibility of or action |
