“I trust this man’s discretion above that of most men of twice his rank,” answered Fraser. “I have found his advice on technical radio matters of the greatest value, and he has an unusual sense of the fitness of such things from the tactical point of view. I wish you would talk with him about this; he could answer your questions as to the technical difficulties better than I can.”
Admiral Johnson pondered the matter awhile and then decided to summon the rear admirals again and let Fraser call in Evans to explain to them more fully what radio direction-finding actually amounted to.
It was an atmosphere well calculated to make the stoutest heart quail that confronted Evans when Fraser brought him into the august gathering of rear admirals, their patience already visibly tried by the resumption of an apparently futile discussion. Admiral Johnson explained to him that his testimony was desired on certain technical questions concerning the radio compass. Carefully avoiding any disclosure of the ultimate object in view, he endeavored to outline the sort of service that might be required of the apparatus, and asked if it could be relied upon to perform this service accurately, regularly, and under a variety of adverse conditions. Evans with difficulty suppressed a smile as he listened to the Admiral’s elaborate and guarded wording of the question he had come prepared to answer.
He answered emphatically and unqualifiedly in the affirmative. And he did not stop there. He went on to say:
“Technically the service you mention is no different from that which the radio compasses in cruisers, destroyers, chasers, and shore stations are performing daily. The apparatus would be used in the same way; it would simply be used for a different purpose.”
One of the admirals asked if he thought it was well enough understood to be safely relied on in an emergency.
“Certainly,” answered Evans; “it is as well understood as a gun, and that has been relied on in most of the emergencies in history.”
“But isn’t it the work of a highly trained specialist to keep it in proper working order and to use it accurately?”
“There again, I can say, without hesitation, not the least bit more so than a gun. It takes less skill to calibrate a radio compass than to bore-sight a gun, and it is far easier to use it accurately than to shoot straight with a gun; that is, with the accuracy required for practical results. If one quarter the effort that is spent bore-sighting guns and drilling gun crews were given to calibrating and inspecting radio compasses and training the men to use them quickly and accurately, and if the officers insisted on efficiency, the radio compass would do its job just as surely as the guns under a good gunnery officer. As for using the intelligence obtained with it, that is up to the officers that handle the fleet, and in that respect the Navy is not apt to fail.”
Admiral Johnson was startled by the earnestness and assurance with which he warmed to the conclusion of his remarks; some of those present felt that he was verging on effrontery, and sought to snub him with expressions of doubt.