OCR Text |
Show WHAT GERARD REALLY si to mm New Story Concerning Threat to Hold Newspaper Men as Hostages. By International News Service. PARI?. Feb. !". That question from .lames V. Gerard. s r.piy to the German hostage threat was all wrong. Mr. (Jerard did not say he would "sit here until kingdom cone." What he really said and this comes from an unassailable source, indeed, from one ho heard him was : "Then I'll stay here until hell rreezes over." It was tin's typically American answer, it now Jevelops, given with an earnest -ness tha t left no room for doubt, that convinced Count Montgelas of the American Ameri-can department of the i mperial German foreign office that Mr. Gerard would "'call" any ha nd. Where) ore Count Montgalas 'promptly threw into the discard dis-card his threat to' hold American newspapermen news-papermen as hostages if Gerard persisted in his refusal to sign the amendment to the treaty of 17.9 guaranteeing safe conduct con-duct to all German ships from American ports in case of war. Mr. Gerard continues as a sphinx. As well try to interview the KifiVl tower as to obtain from the ex-ambassador any expression whatsoever on the fateful week that followed the day of the diplomatic diplo-matic break between the United States and Germain'. Nor will anyone officially identified with Mr. Gerard say a word regarding re-garding the trta tment accorded the representative rep-resentative of the United fc' tales by the German government. This much, however, Is beyond any doubt or debate, that the ex-ambassador was virtually held a prisoner for fully a 1 week, tiiat the delivery of his passports was delayed for fcur days and that some of the newspaper corrtspondents did not receive theirs until four hours before the "Gerard special" pulled out of Berlins Mr. Gerard is known to have sen to 1 Washington during t he last forty-eight hours a lengthy confidential message. It is not doubted among his party that, the state department by this time Is In possession pos-session of all tiie essential facts attending attend-ing the delay in the ex-ambassador's departure de-parture from the German capital. In every language the story which will form one of the interesting pages of America's history may be told in seven words: "A good call of a bad bluff." Actually in history the story is likely to have a lively -sequel. Mr. Gerard today conferred at length with William G. riharpe, American ambassador am-bassador to France. Mr. Sharpe and his staff met the American Ameri-can party from Berlin at the station and escorted them to their hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe entertained Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Ger-ard at dinner tonight. Before he leaves for .Spain, where he will take the boat for New York, Mr. Gerard is expected to exchange formal calls with the leading French officials. |