The Reichsmarine used the IvS front company in the Netherlands to continue submarine design work despite the Treaty of Versailles. The major powers and their intelligence services probably knew where this activity was taking place. A visible secret could preserve technical development and perhaps signal capability, but it was unlikely to produce complete surprise. The passage distinguishes deterrent secrecy from a genuinely concealed program and shows how arms-control evasion interacted with intelligence monitoring.
Notable Point · 34:38-36:09
Covert submarine development as a known secret
The Dutch-based IvS submarine design company illustrates how prohibited development could continue under observation without delivering genuine strategic surprise.