Eighteenth Century Military leadership became a rigidified elite group, a foppish reversal of their onetime low social caste as blood-encrusted servant-warriors. Their newfound poise as decorated ofiBcers and gentlemen compelled an iimate abhorrence of scientific accoutrements, contraptions considered “fiivo-lous” and “undignified”. 'The overestimation of blackstrap leather, square jawed grit, and sheer strength of numbers versus “applications intellectual” took a violent turn two minutes into the first battle of World War I, where Nineteenth Century military brawn was introduced to Twentieth Centuiy scientific weu'-fare. Empowered by years of prior research and development, the new battle-front of steel helmets, tight-fitting canvas uniforms, deadly gas, gas masks, tanks, hand grenades, field radio communications, and superior artillery wiped away those first feather-festooned ofiBcers in satin who rose over the hiU on horseback. Later developments introduced the world of armies to a new battlefield in the skies. Dirigibles, airplanes, airgunners, airbombers, and all the subsequent tactical developments accompanying the acquisition of new materiel for war, suddenly and unexpectedly made their unwelcome appearance. Now, even in the absence of “batde-ready” proof, the military simply began entertaining every sort of potential weapon system. Not one such technological
Possibility was to be rejected.
Science had become the tool of power on all fronts. With or without military approvals, science had become the eyes and ears of all world power. Hard scientific prowess, not military format, did more than turn any geopolitical conflict Scientific equipment always enunciated the outcome. Military were traditionally too proud to admit this fact. Scientists, not well groomed officers, provided the modem route toward battle victory. Military leaders found themselves training with their men in the use of all these new scientific tactical advantages. The employment of experimenters and researchers began the long tradition of liaisons between the creative commimity and the commanding community. The initially rude and brusque encounter between military leadership and pedestrian experimenters grew into a flame of wonders, a flame fi-om which projected so many new and diverse sparklets. These sparklets flooded the decade between World Wars, the last decade where strange and anomalous natural discoveries arrived in a mysterious and thrilling starfall. Military leaders appropriated weapons-potential hardware as soon as it appeared. A new thought regime began connecting the two diverse weapons regimes together in a truly bizarre manner, an equally bizarre concept emerging. Once the absolute bastion of all that was practical and reasonable, the military research teams began entertaining more of the exotic and the outlandish in scientific possibility. This method, the “way of dreamers”, had proven itself to be an inestimable advantage, now even a necessity.
How were the superior rayic technologies of Nikola Tesla overshadowed by the inferior wave radio applications of Guglielmo Marconi? What kind of strange legerdemain had Marconi so successfully employed that he could so completely dominate the industry of communications that his name alone is equated with radio? In order to comprehend the nature of this ludicrous opinion, so fervently maintained by the turn of the century academicians and military, we must examine the atmosphere acquired by Marconi through all of his public relations support structures. Military, a traditionally elitist organization, at once grasped the tremendous potential of radio communications in the worldwide theatre which they embraced. Military prized the potentials of every technological breakthrough. Naval authority especially sought the new development of Radio for its obvious utility in defense.
While appreciation of the potential “science advantage” had sometimes reached the attentions of military groups at the turn of the Century, the strong reliance on systems scientific had not yet completely come of age. Examination of patents, just before the onset of World War I, reflect the excessive deliberations of inventors and researchers who found a sure market in developing military equipment Bidding for the attention of military leaders in this time period was never easy. One had to overcome the hardened elitism which characterized the archetypal officer, the pure soldier. Marconi had done just this in England, but only through auspices secured by his English mother, of
Aristocratic birth. Marconi was able to sell to the British military a system which their own scientists had already devised. But for his bravado and aristocratic connection, he would have been rebuked for the insolence. Through this incursion, as it were, wave radio made its contaminating appearance first in the British military, and then in the world at large.
Arranging demonstrations with these men was never an opportunity to be trifled with, evidence of an aristocratic carry-over which, though thoroughly undemocratic and contradictory, was indeed revealing. The military tradition, one whose themes run prior to the advent of national government, had long elevated themselves to elite levels rivalling those bom of royal blood. Great ceremony accompanied the early turn of the Century encounters between inventors and military leaders; events which often proved or disproved the worth of featured hardware in a single shot. Heated debates among various division leaders often argued the relative practical worth of technical systems, usually viewed in a dubious military eye. MiUtaiy leaders of different service branches were in constant competition to prove their non-reliance on scientific hardware, as if this was but another measure of strength and pride. Army, Navy, and a young developing Air Force now were in fierce personal competition.
Elite military leaders, themselves fi-om the upper caste, were most interested in obtaining stations for their own purposes. The innermost predispositions of major historical figures is revealed in their actions. History records the military willingness to first seek out Marconi rather than Dr. Tesla. This preference was predicated on all the reasons which have previously been outlined: class elitism and the self-attractions of that self-centered clique. But this list of influences was balanced against the one item which sealed the destiny of Marconi. His perceived superiority was based entirely on his financial resource. Unlike the process which used Tesla in order to assess his potential achievements, with subsequent removal of funding at critical moments in his final moments of preparation, the continued funding to Marconi insured his success on many fi-onts. Highly prestigious authorities perceived Marconi as the only source fi-om which to learn and acquire the secrets of Radio. The growth process which eventually produced a privatized military Signal Corps was the result of the manner in which wave radio technology began emerging as the “only possible wireless communications system”.
Radio offered military a manifold battle presence. Not only for its tactical advantages on the global scene, but also because hostile others were engaged in like research, different branches of the military now actively arranged liaison with The Marconi Company. Contrary to the prestige and perception of Marconi, other researchers were already experimenting in wave radio. Some had successfully duplicated and surpassed the Marconi System in Europe, a secret which Marconi continually managed to enforce. Those whose experimental work encompassed these topics knew that several key figures had long
Delved into the wireless arts. With the first appearance of Marconi, several adventurous experimenters. Count Georg von Arco, Fr. Joseph Murgas, Sigmund Musits, Harry Shoemaker, Dr. Fessenden, Lt. Com. William Hogg, Alexander Meissner, and a long list of others who had already perfected variant radio systems. Each of these wave radio systems operated with great power and clarity in a wide range of higher than VLF frequencies.
Demanding entry into the new radiotelegraphy field was not easy however. Sheer indomitable willpower however was not enough in this battiefront At the time, a formidable Elmperor had to be carefully approached and appeased. Elitist met with elitist, the one now subservient to the other. In this case, it was a surprising obeisance, where the American military was required to kneel before a single individual. The pressures which forced Military into the initially subservient relationship with Marconi came from already mentioned prejudices, and the growing threat of a world poised on the brink of European War. Military requested assistance in developing their own transoceanic communications systems against that eventuality. The Marconi Company became the original contractor for these first military radio projects.
What had Marconi represented to the military? How was he perceived? Marconi was indeed a source of radio technology for which military recognized obvious advantages and potentials. But, despite all of the mentioned attribute given him through advantage emd prestige, Marconi was a civilian. This status permitted a strong and adv2intageous separation through which a convenient ultimate divorce would be arranged. Military did not wish subservience to one who owed allegiance to neither national fronts, defense initiatives, or historical loyalties. Marconi was a monopofist, a business privateer, a foreigner. Marconi willingly supplied military with systems of their own.
Believing the extensive lie that wave radio was indeed “the only radio”, they were forced to come to Marconi. He supposedly had the secrets. His very fame seemed to be a declaration of dependable expertise. The military was always fixated on that term, “dependable”. Close after this word, the terms “reliable” and “practical” follow. In this evidence of rigid fixations, military authorities are not always correct in their assessments and trusts. The Marconi organization offered some kind of proof of control. The propaganda taught that Marconi was in absolute of the wave world. He was the one to see.
Before the military could launch their own radio waves out across the seas, before structuring and controlling their own wave world, they had to acquire both these secrets and this experience. Marconi’s initial contracts had been signed with the British military, a contract which became valuable to both parties. Having forced British military into a position of subservience, Marconi exacted an excessive tribute. Marconi, heir apparent of the “wave secrets”, used his position and their admiration to draw out every possible pound sterling while he could. American military had already observed these maneuvers. Yet, Marconi wanted a contract with them. His desire allowed them to shape their end of the bargain, one in which they planned an ultimate and complete break. Military in America had no desire to perpetuate a relationship with a civilian who swaggered with the false air of a tyrant
Their approach was simple, it having already been strategically planned that their young officers in training absorb as much learning as possible from the Marconi Institutes. The entire affair in no way differed from an espionage operation. Thereafter, certain military corpsmen were to concentrate on the examination of his VLF installations. Others were to gain operating experience. Yet others were to become proficient in engineering aspects of his technology. Once a thorough saturation of this knowledge and experience had been acquired, the corpsmen were to leave the Marconi System altogether. Thereafter, military engineering corps could design and develop their own systems. Privatized systems.
World History
