Show Am America rica Warned of Excessive Optimism sm smi i Victory Up to Uncle Sam Then Thera Let Us Face True True- Conception o of 0 Conditions Conditio liS in irl Crisis Crisis' Pleads Patriotic Co Correspondent BY CARL VON WIEGAND I Former New York American v Correspondent Abroad Previously lie UP W Wait II Uh tile lie German in and 1111 l Annie and Was Wan tiN the tUe Last Lat Writer 1 to I Ic Leave Berlin The he American crisis crisis' H in the great world war is near There has hasl been l n the time Belgian crisis the English crisis the thc Rumanian crisis and nd the Italian crisis and no now there is close at hand the time American crisis I These developed developed In favor tavor of or the Germans with the exception of oC the English and French What new turn will will he given ghen the war by bythe bythe bythe the crisis Th That t Is the question we will have ha to face race Upon Its answer answer answer an an- will depend the outcome of or orthe the war w Upon America depends the war That has become a a. trite saying Many fan people said it with a a. feeling of or conscious pride without the least realizing what that assertion meant They Thc are Just beginning to get a glimpse le of or that realization We are already well in the first manifestations of the American crisis Coal foo food guns equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment confusion ion all an tell the story of o of lack of or foresight foresight fore tore sight of oC misconception of oC the task undertaken of or popular lack of or understanding understanding un un- of the fine tino mechanism of the intricate war machine and the time infinite details of organizing or an unprepared nation lot for war ar WAR WAIL AR UP Ut 10 TO U. U S. S Why Wh dl did two o and a h half years yeaT of or war In Europe fail tall to make the tho American Pr President understand lm w hat l' l war i is 8 Ti more ore re i h. h K a a st r on l jr ITT In sonic some quarters to place all ail the blame e for I the existing conditions conditions con con- upon the he administration But is public opinion a public mind perhaps with a wear weakness ne to want ant to 0 read and hear news that pleases and gratifies the feelings Germany German is not yet licked There Is If little prospect that site she he will be by b external foes toes during the present year ear If It she Is to be bc de defeated defeated defeated de- de It certainly is now pretty prett much up to Uncle Sam It can only be accomplished by a unity unity- and solidarity a I it at h home me and b by centralization and antl coordination ordina co tion abroad We have as yet et neIther neither nei nol ther that solidarity at home nor abroad the political and military centralization and ordination co-ordination that the central po powers ers have had hall Self-deception Self and utter lack of or centralization and coordination coordination or co have ha been the besetting sins Ins of or the allies from the tho first day of oC the war They rhey are arc time the twin curses s which have rested heavily upon them diverted their mind and diffused their energies Instead of or these learning and profiting Ly by costly lessons it would appear that America has inherited their mis mis- takes CONCEPTION CO COSTLY From the time vel very beginning the al allies allies al- al lies especially England gambled ambled upon the German people themselves defeating defeating- Germany German and that within a few months History tory will one ono lay day I a pass poss Judgment upon how much this beclouded England's vision and Continued on Page Pago 2 2 U. U U S. S WARNED OF I OVER OPTIMISM Continued From Page Pas 1 1 tended to paralyze the Initiative of or her people toward lu developing Q elop and relying upon her own energies lc It ItIs ItIs Iti i Is but one illustration of or how ill In Informed Ill In- formed the J English were ere and how little the they knew of or the ps psychology cholon of the tho German mind It Illustrates the danger of or going oln too far I in n letting letting let let- ting hug the wish be father to the thet t thought h o u gli t There Is no more dangerous erous polIe policy pol pol- icy Ie In Ii war ar than to consider l er as u achieved what has not yet et been To apply such sunn a n policy pol pol- icy to the conduct of ot the war at atlie atthe atthe the lie front and to the preparations only lead to grievous s errors error and bitter hitter disappointments It put puts a premium on failure and defeat detent When hen on on August 14 H 1914 1 te ten days after Germany German was cut ore oft from flom the he world I arrived ed at The Tho Hague the tle first correspondent to come out of Germany German I J found In Inthe inthe the press of the v orld orld that the streets of or Berlin were running deep with the blood of I 10 socialist social socIal- It 1st members member of or the who were executed by enterprising newspaper correspondents on the outside Others not to be outdone the elephants killed and fed ted lions hippopotami and ami other animals animals ani ani- mals In the zoological garden to toan toan toan an alleged starving and rioting rioting- Berlin population There line never nover nov nev er cr been a dearth of sensations s from C Germany Gelman e nun fl V. V OT GOOD WOD The editor of ot the New ew Statesman States Stales I man of London recently wrote The average erase man Is la more In Interested In- In in the crimes of or Germany Ger Ger- many than In the truth about German Ger Ger- man many y the heading It I Is Better Betterto lo to Tell the thc Truth he lie wrote Every Ever political party pirt believes lies about its Its enemies Every elY country at war believes lies about Its enemies 1 ery church believes lies about its enemies The article was a protest against the tendency of oC certain war var books fl as being misleading To the few American correspondents correspondents correspondents dents In Germany German it often seemed that the thC people of the allies and of America were wele determined being deceived ed in regard both to to the strength and the Internal conditions conditions con con- in Germany Gelman As I was as one of oC those within the iron ring I do not presume to Judge who contributed most to such a state of public lUbliC mind the mind the newspapers themselves es or 01 the pub lie lic I am merely recording the I fact It I Is noteworthy that of the tue half haIr dozen American correspondents who were ere ere in iii Germany and more or oi less with tie the German armies from the first day of the war war men men who al' al are I trained observers not observers not one uno has ventured to write a hook book Books galore I O on Germany have ha I i b boon been cn written b by diplomats and ald b by I correspondents and writers who were Ii In Germany German from Crom a It few cew weeks to a r few w months Some Somo of or them spoke little German Trained Journalists like S S. S B. B Conger Coner of the Associated Press Raymond E. E Swing of the Chicago o Dall Dally Daily News ewA Goor George Goorge e A. A men Iner men who did dirt not hot see ec the war alone from front so society's so- so dinner table nor liar through the eyes of ot Interpreters and nii translators trans traus- lator have ha not so far a as i I am ama a aware written books book There Thele Is a disposition among newspapers to cater to what thc they think the public wants want That ma may be the ke key to the success of at Individual Indi vidual newspapers but It Is 18 not nol always rendering the public the b t service Unless correspondent correspondents dents dent are ar men of reputation and nd of or strong personal conviction as asto asto to what the they observe and learn that attitude can call ever even unconsciously reflect It In their dma llis- patches I In Jul July JI a few fow ow days as a's before beCore the tile outbreak of the great war var the general en ral manager of or m my New NewYork NewYork ew York olk office cabled me at Berlin Dont get ex excited till the shoot shoot- ting begins be It was waa followed II by bya a second cable calling cailing me down severely so because I was cabling co much about the nearness of ot the tise war A third c ble followed rollow d din in Ih the lie morning a asking kin wh why I was wasting so o much as us words on Si such uch an tU absurd probability as outbreak outbreak outbreak out out- break of or war That was nothing short of intimidation now NI s I Only a few weel weeks s ago a COrrespondent correspondent correspondent corre corre- in regarded for fot years as one of ot the best ties on Russia Russin whose dispatches appear In scores of American pa papers papers pa- pa pers received a cablegram rum from tram ls l New cw York office chiding him for sending news lienS at atthe the mom moment lt when Kerensky was about to be deposed The natural inference was that optimistic news s was w wanted here or 01 that Sew Now York knew more than theman the thc thoman man on the spot Refusing to conform conform conform con con- form to lO such Implied Instructions the thc correspondent Indignantly re resigned resigned re- re signed 81 n d and came home He lIe refused to send information that tended to mislead the American readers Another Another Another An An- other correspondent who came camo from Vienna when America broke relations with Austria found upon hi his arrival al In New l York that his chief had made up p his mind Austria was falling to pieces and having so IJO decided determined it must be beso so The correspondent who knows Austrian affairs as aN few tew foreigners do o was emphatic from his knowledge knowledge knowl know edge and observation that there was waR little prospect at that time for foi such developments Ills his chief hief In Insisted In- In The Thc correspondent refused to write alon along lines which he was as convinced con could only tend to mislead mis mis- lead He resigned That was wal months ago Austria has not fallen to pieces XI WS UM UX P. D By this I 1 do not mean to Imply that the newspapers and news agencies Intentionally mislead the public But they have a weakness for giving gl the public what It likes to read Especially Is that the case In war when unfavorable neWs nO Is a likely to ho bo denounced as Unpatriotic unpatriotic unpatriotic un patriotic If Ie the public Insl Instated insisted upon the truth however unpleasant ant anI and had the broadmindedness minded broad ness Hess to accept It H. the newspapers undoubtedly would furnish It Military experts and attrition experts have ha contributed their theil shares to the tal false o optimism that thatIs I Is now being dissipated b by the realities realities real real- flies of or tho the situa situation on at home ahda and a abroad U road The They confounded resources with power The They were winning the tho war 31 with resources not with power converted from sources They Jon long arrays of ot figures and resources of the world coalition opposing Germany German and anil gave ga the tho verdict that Germany German was as defeated The public pub pub- lie lic accepted the tile verdict laid back backwith backwith with a sigh of satisfaction and has haa been too much disposed to lo let figures and resources do the wInn win win- n ning I n g There has Isas been too much talk about our vastI vastly superior resources and too little popular concentration tion upon the tue vital process of or converting converting converting con con- those resources Into fightIng fight fight- fighting In Ing power I L' L UNPOPULAR H. While In Washington a friend wishing to give gl me good advice said Condemn and denounce everything c German and about Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many and praise conditions here at al home Do that and It will make mak a hit But nut no criticisms But un unfortunately unfortunately un- un fortunately too man many have fol followed followed fol- fol oh- oh lowed such a policy and contributed to the tho state of affairs that has resulted In the present rude awakening of OC the public Belittling Be lle- the thc foe never yet ot won von a avas' avas awal war vas Conjuring visions with the unrealities of oC a false falso optimism ma may be bc as destructive e to a nation In war as the dreams of or the thc opium pipe arc are to individual users It It seems deplorable sa says the tIle late President of Sylvanus Thompson Thomp Thomp- son in iii his isis The Quest for Truth Truths but after many man years cars I have ha come cometo cometo cometo to the conclusion that the majority of or men do not want to know the truth about things Mess Men even veracious and honest In speech are arc not by nature lovers hovers of or the truth anxious ls to know Inow the thC thing thinS a as It is is |