A part of the intelligence system is the personality squad, whose duty
it is to acquaint themselves with the personality of every army and
navy officer of the leading powers. I have seen reports as to the
environments, habits, hobbies, and general proclivities of men such as
Admiral Fisher, commanding the Channel Squadron of the British Navy,
down to Colonel Ribault, in charge of a battery in Toulouse. To
military or naval officers and men of affairs, the reason and benefit
of such a system are obvious. The general reader, however, may not
quite see the point. The position of a commander in the field is
analogous to the executive head of a big selling concern. A
semi-personal knowledge of the foibles and characteristics of his
customers without doubt gives him an advantage over a rival concern,
neglecting the personal equation being really more important than is
generally understood. This has long been recognized and fully taken
advantage of by the German Army author ities.
A?‹RIAL
Within the last few years an entirely new and according to German
ideas most important factor has entered and disturbed the relative
military power of European nations. This is the aerial weapon.
Since the days of Otto Lilienthal and his glider it has been the
policy of Germany to keep track of all inventions likely to be
embodied and made use of in the War Machine.
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