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Show Anti-American Plot in Germany t5 i3 55 i3 Wilhelmstrasse Backs Impostors i ii Reproduction of a desecrated copy of Declaration of Independence. Bloody hand smeared across the document in anti-America propaganda. In CONGRESS. July a, 17s.. Tie imammouTecfaraftoiron .States ofA-mrica, T' Ju. LjUl. Juj 4t.4tc&,iJ&s& , A !if - rTt'-, T'rr 7mLjji&jJ4 v -J-, ' 2 t&MjJ-p'f-tf to Jjzz' tfi Gerard's Threat to Burn Down Plotters' Den Is Used Against Him. By CARL W. ACKERMAN. (Copyright, 1917. the Tribune association.) associ-ation.) WHILE professing, officially, her friendship for the United States, the German government govern-ment has been secretly preparing the German mind for war since the sinking of the Lusitania. German officials realized that, unless the people were encouraged encour-aged to bate and to suspect President Presi-dent Wilson and the United States it would be Impossible for them to have the public support when the brea k came. The German people must always have a reason. A war or a brea.k in diplomatic relations had to be "Justified." "Jus-tified." So while Germany maintained a propaganda bureau in America to "explain" Germany and to maintain good relations, she started, also, in Germany an extensive propaganda system against Wilson, the press, the United States ambassador and Americans in general. It was a propaganda prop-aganda of 1-ate and very effective. Among army officers the bitteiliess and hatred of the United States are deper and more extensive than the hatred of any other belligerent. It was often said In Berlin: "Germany hates England, fights Franre, suspects sus-pects Russia, but loathes America." No one, not even American officials, questioned it. Light and Truth. In January, 1016, there appeared -in Berlin a publication called Light and Truth. It was a 12-page circular circu-lar in English and German, attacking attack-ing President Wilson and the United Slates. Copies were sent by mail to all Americans and to hundreds of thousands of Germans. It was edited and distributed by "The League of Truth." It was the most sensational document printed In Germany since the beginning of the war against & power with which Germany was supposed sup-posed to be at peace. Page 6 contained con-tained two Illustrations under the legend : WILSON AND HIS PRESS IS NOT AMERICA. Underneath was this paragraph-: "An American Demonstration On the 27th of January, the birthday of the German emperor, an Immense laurel wreath, decorated with the German and American flags, was pla-ced by Americana at th foot of Continued on Page Four.1 ANTI-AMERICAN PLOT IN GERMANY REVEALED (Continued from Page One.) the monument to Frederick the Great (In Berlin). The American flag was shrouded In .black crepe. Frederick the Great was the first to recognize the independence of the young republic after it had won Its freedom from the yoke of England, at the price of Its very heart's blood through years of struggle. His successor, suc-cessor, Wllhelm II, receives the gratitude grat-itude of America in the form of hypocritical phrases and war supplies to his mortal enemy." One photograph was of the wreath Itself. The other showed a group of thirty-six people, mostly boys, standing stand-ing In front of the statue after the wreath had been placed. Gerard on the Job. When Ambassador Gerard learned about the "demonstration" he went to the statue and from there immediately immedi-ately to the foreign office, where he saw Secretary of State von Jagow. Gerard demanded Instantaneous removal re-moval of the wreath. Von Jagow promised an "investigation." Gerard, meanwhile, began a personal investigation investi-gation of the "League of Truth," which had purchased and placed the Insult there. Days, weeks, even months passed. Yon Jagow still refused to have the wreath removed. Finally Gerard went to the foreign office and told von Jagow that unless It was taken away that day he would get it himself him-self and send It by courier to Wash- , Ington. That evening Gerard walked to the statue. The wreath had disappeared. dis-appeared. Week by week the league continued contin-ued its propaganda. Gerard continued con-tinued his investigation. Bloody Hand Desecration. July 4, 1916, another circular was scattered broadcast. On page 1 was a large black cross. Pages 2 and 3, the inside, contained a reprint of the "Declaration of Independence," with the imprint across the face of a bloody hand. Inclosed in- a heavy black border bor-der on page 4 were nine verses by John L. Stoddard, the lecturer, entitled en-titled "Blood-Traffickers." Three verses: Cowards, who kill three thousand miles away. See the long line of shrouded forms , increase! Yours is this work, disguise it as you may; But for your greed the world were now at peace. You, who prolong this hideous hell on earth, Making a by-word of your native land. Stripped of your wealth, how paltry is your worth ! See how men shrink from contact with your hand! There Is pollution In your blood-smeared blood-smeared gold. There is corruption in your pact with., death. There is dishonor in the lie, oft-told. Of your "Humanity"! Tis empty breath. Inciting German-American. The league made an especial appeal to the "German-Americans." Germany, as was pointed out In a previous article, ar-ticle, counts upon sogie German-Americans as her alies. One day Ambassador Ambas-sador Gerard received a circular entitled enti-tled "An Appeal to All Friends of Truth.' The same was sent in German Ger-man and Knglish to a mailing list of many hundred thousands. Excerpts from this read: "If any one is called upon to raise his voice In foreign lands for the cause of truth, it is the foreigner who was able to witness the unanimous rising of the German people at the outbreak of war. and their attitude during its contlnuanee. This applies especially to "As a citizen of two continents, in proportion as bis character has remained re-mained true to German principles, he finds both here and there the right word to say " "Numberless millions of men are forced to look upon a loathsome spectacle. spec-tacle. It is that of certain individuals in America, to whom a great nation has temporarily intrusted its weal and woe, supporting a few multi-millionaires and their dependents, setting at naueht unpunished the revered document doc-ument of the Fourth of July. 177S. and daring to barter away the birthright of the white race We want to see whether the united voices of Germans Ger-mans and foreigners have not more weieht than the hired writers of editorials edi-torials in the newspapers: and whether the words of men who are independent will not render it impossible for a subsidized sub-sidized press to continue Us destruc-1 destruc-1 tive work." Exposing the Propaganda. Gerard's investigation showed that a group of German-Americans in Berlin were financing the "League of Truth": that a man named William F. Marten, who posed as an American, was tho head, and that the edit-irs and writers of the publication "Light and Truth" were being assisted by the Foreign Office press Bureau and protected by the cenera! staff. An American dentist den-tist in Berlin. Dr. Charles Mueller, was rhairma n "f The league. Mrs. Annie Neumann -Hofer. the American -born wife of Neumann-Hofer of the Reichstag, Reichs-tag, was secretary. Gerard reported ot her n;i mes to the stale d epa rt me nt , and askd authority to take away the patspurti, uf Americans who were as sisting the Gorman government In this , the German-American, propaganda. The "league" heard about the ambassador's am-bassador's efforts, and announced that a "Big Bertha" issue would be pub-' pub-' lished exposing Gerard. For several months the propagandists worked to ! collect data. One day Gerardi decided to go to the league's offices and look i at the people who were directing It. In 1 the course of his remarks the ambaa-! ambaa-! sador said that if the foreign office ! didn't do something to suppress the i league immediately, he would burn j down theplace. The next day Marten i and his co-workers went to the royal administration of the superior court, No. 1, in Berlin, and through his attorney, at-torney, lodged a criminal charge of "threat of arson" against the ambassador. ambas-sador. The next day Germany was flooded with letters from the League of Truth, saying: "The undersigned committee of the League of Truth to their deepest regret re-gret felt compelled to inform the members that Ambassador Gerard had become Involved in a criminal charge involving threat of arson. All American citizens are now asked whether an ambassador who acts so undignified at the moment of a formal threat of a wholly unnecessary un-necessary war, is to be considered worthy further to represent a country coun-try like the United States?" Were it not for the fact that at this time President Wilson was trying to impress upon Germany the seriousness of her continued disregard of American Amer-ican and neutral lives on the high seas, the whole thing would have been too absurd to notice. But Germany wanted to create the impression among her people that President Wilson Wil-son was not speaking for America, and that the ambassador was too insignificant insigni-ficant to notice. Confession. After this incident Gerard called upon Von Jagow again and demanded the immediate suppression of the third number of "Light and Truth." Before Von Jagow consented Mrs. Neumanii-llofer Neumanii-llofer turned upon her former propagandists propa-gandists and confessed. I believe her confession is in the state department, but this Is what she told me: "Marten is a German and has never been called to the army because the general staff has delegated him to direct this anti-American uropaganda. (We were talking at the embassy the day before the ambassador left. ) Marten is supported by some very high officials. He has letters of congratulations congratula-tions from the chancellor, General von Falkenhayn, Count Zeppelin, and others for one of his propaganda books entitled 'German Barbarians.' I think the crown prince is one of his backers, back-ers, but I have never been able to prove it." The "League of Truth" is but one branch of the anti-American manufacturing manufac-turing machine "Made in Germany." The- next article will tell of the anti-American anti-American sentiment In the army. Among army officers bitterness and revenge are so deep that an officer in the war ministry remarked to another American correspondent: - "Mr. X., I am a poor man. but I have a thousand dollars. Whenever the United Slates goes to war with Japan or Mexico, I am going to contribute con-tribute that much to the Japanese or Mexican war funds." |