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Merchants of Death
 
Merchants ofDeath
 Foreword 
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The Armament Maker 
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Chapter 2 
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Chapter 3 
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Chapter 4 
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Chapter 5 
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Chapter 6 
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Chapter 7 
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Chapter 8 
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Chapter 9 
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Chapter 10 
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Chapter 11 
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War in Europe 
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Enter old Glory 
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Chapter 14 
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Chapter 15 
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Chapter 16 
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Chapter 17 
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Chapter 18
 
MERCHANTS OF DEATH
 A Study of the International Armament Industryby H.C. E
NGELBRECHT
, Ph.D.,Associate Editor,
The World Tomorrow
andF.C. H
ANIGHEN
 with a Foreword by H
ARRY
E
LMER
B
ARNES
 Dodd, Mead & Co., New York, 1934
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Merchants of Death, Foreword
FOREWORDbyHARRY ELMER BARNES
 IT is an unmitigated pleasure for me to commend this study of the international armamentindustry to the civilized reading public . In several important ways this book is anoutstanding contribution to the literature of history and the social sciences .In the first place, it points out a great gap in our knowledge of a branch of technology andindustry and makes a valiant beginning at filling it . The evolution of firearms has playeda very important part in the destiny of modern nations . Yet, for no generation or countryis there a thoroughly satisfactory monographic treatment of the evolution of the firearmsindustry therein . There has been no end of writing on the wars which have been fought,but little or nothing is told us about the reason why soldiers in the Spanish-American warwere more effectively armed than those of General George Washington, and even less istold about the source of armament supplies in the various wars . Histories tell us that thePrussians were armed with the “needle gun” in the War of 1866, but not one historyprofessor in a dozen could explain what the “needle gun” actually was or indicate thetransition from the muzzle loading to the breech loading muskets .In the second place, this study reveals illuminating information with respect to theorganization and sales methods of a very considerable industry . The propaganda andhigh pressure salesmanship which has characterized contemporary business finds itsprototype in the activities of armament manufacturers long before our generation .There is no denying the importance of wars, particularly wars waged with contemporarymethods of devastation . Wars may be a menace to the race, but their increasing ravagesonly make them more significant in at least a negative sense . If wars can no longer makeany considerable constructive contribution to human life, they have become increasinglypotent in their capacity to dislocate society and to destroy civilization . In his latest book,Mr. H.G. Wells has given us a vivid and appalling forecast of the horrors of the nextworld war . The technology of armaments controls the material sinews of war . As theeffectiveness and deadliness of armaments has increased, war has become moredevastating and demoralizing . Nothing could be more helpful than a systematic historyof the armament industry in enabling us to understand why mankind needs to busy itself particularly today in bringing the material technique of mass murder under control if wewish to preserve the semblance of modern civilization . This is the third out standingmerit of this book .A fourth characteristic of this volume will commend itself to thoughtful readers, namelythe comprehensive and complete character of the treatment given to the armament
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Merchants of Death, Foreword
industry . Here is a satisfactory history of its development, an outline of itsachievements, a delineation of the methods which have been followed by leadingarmament firms, an exposure of the degradation of ethics which has accompanied theefforts of the armament moguls to market their products, and an indication of the bearingof the whole historical study upon the outlook for world peace .Not less impressive than the comprehensiveness of the work is the sane and reasonabletone which pervades the whole study . Most accounts of the armament industry havebeen written by men and women who possess all the fervor of the valiant crusader againstwar . It is no disparagement of the usefulness and courage of the ardent pacifist to pointout that this crusading psychology does not always supply the best background for a saneperspective on the causes of war . When a professional pacifist cuts loose on thearmament industry, he frequently gives the impression that the armament makersconstitute the chief menace to peace . By thus obscuring much more powerful factorswhich make for war, such writers render at least an indirect disservice to the cause of peace .Dr. Engelbrecht and Mr. Hanighen do not fall victim to this temptation . Theythoroughly expose all the evils of the armament industry, but they remain at all timesconscious that broader forces, such as patriotism, imperialism, nationalistic education,and capitalistic competition, play a larger part than the armament industry in keepingalive the war system .In another respect also is their reasonableness conspicuously apparent . They expose thecorruption, graft and disloyalty of the armament makers with a thoroughness sufficient togratify the most determined pacifist . At the same time, they make no effort to portraythese armament pirates, their lobbyists and salesmen, as peculiarly depraved members of the human race . They recognize that they are no more corrupt than, for instance, ourown great investment bankers . If British tank-masters hastened to sell Russia tankswhile their government was about to break off diplomatic relations with Russia, so didMr. Mitchell and Mr. Wiggin sell short the stock of their own banks . If British airplanecompanies were ready to sell aircraft to the Hitler government, so did Mr. Sinclair and hisassociates make vast profits at the expense of their own stockholders .Even in the armament industry the bankers have set the pace for chicanery . Fewarmament manufacturers have duplicated J.P. Morgan, Sr.’s sale of defective arms toJohn C. Frémont during the Civil War . When it comes to economic corruption, John T.Flynn’s book on Graft in Business presents a far more sorry record than does this presentvolume . Moreover, even though the armament makers have played a prominent part inencouraging wars, rebellions and border raids, they never exerted so terrible an influenceupon the promotion of warfare as did our American bankers between 1914 and 1917 .
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