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Show DERNSTORFF PLOTTED TO CORBH CONGRESS BEFORE WAR DECLARATION Secretary Lansing Discloses Another Amazing Intrigue of Teuton. BRIBE CONGRESS PLAN Proof That Former Ambassador Bernstorff Bern-storff Asked Permission of His Government to Spend $50,000 in Bribing Congressmen. Washington. The revelation that Count von Bernstorff, trusted adviser of Emperor William and at present ambassador am-bassador to Turkey, headed the German Ger-man propaganda of bribery that sought to keep this country out of war when Germany entered upon her ruthless campaign of submarine warfare exploded ex-ploded like shrapnel in Washington on Friday. Diplomats, congressmen, officials and various propagandists were amazed. Congress immediately began to talk of investigation. Secretary of State Lansing gave" out a letter of Bernstorff in which the ambassador asked the kaiser for $50,-000 $50,-000 to "influence congress." It seemed certain that the Bernstorff Bern-storff communication was forwarded through a neutral government. The state department refused to confirm this or to indicate whether its suspicions sus-picions were directed to any neutral source. The mystery of the "society" which Bernstorff was to use had Washington Washing-ton awake from one end of Pennsylvania Pennsyl-vania avenue to the other. The names mentional in connection with the German activities in propo-ganda propo-ganda are already well known. They include scores of individuals whose records have been looked up by the department of justice and whose strange activities have been the basis of more than one quiet secret service investigation. Opinion here seemed general that when Secretary Lansing made public this startling Bernstorff document, he not only "had the goods on" Bernstorff but on his connections in the United States. Bernstorff's Duplicity Cleverly Seen. The communication made public by Secretary Lansing no only reveals Ambassador Bernstorff standing forth for the first time as the actual directing direct-ing head of a bribery propaganda, but exposes the efforts of Germany to use this country as a buffer while Teuton ruthlessness was employed In its most effective measures. While Count von Bernstorff has been exposed early in the year as passing a. note from Foreign Minister Zimmor-mann Zimmor-mann to Count von Eckhardt in Mexico City to drag Japan and Mexico into a war with this country, the German representative rep-resentative had not been shown to have any direction of the payment of money, to finance intrigues, or as being the real head. Today he is set up as a shining example ex-ample of German duplicity, indicating his willingness to commit bribery while at the same time professing the most friendly relations with this country. When the note was sent Great Britain Brit-ain was crying for food ; she was crying cry-ing for ships; she was crying fof ammunition. am-munition. France was in the same po- Washington. Seritary Lansing made a startling revelation on September Sep-tember 21 in the briefest but most significant chapter of German intrigue in-trigue the state department has yet disclosed. His statement follows: The secretary of state issues the following statement from Ambassador Ambassa-dor Bernstorff to the Berlin foreign office dated January 22, 1917: "I request authority to pay out $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars) in order, as on former occasions, to influence congress through the organization or-ganization you know of, which can perhaps prevent war. "I am beginning in the meantime to act accordingly. "In the above circumstances, a public official German declaration In favor of Ireland is highly desirable desir-able in order to gain the support of Irish Influences here." This message was sent to the kaiser through the Berlin foreign office of-fice just prior to the beginning of Germany's undersea campaign. Secretary Sec-retary Lansing said the government had proof that the message was delivered. sition. Italy was sending to this country coun-try a delegation to impress this imperative im-perative necessity of ships, coal and supplies for her army just about to enter its greatest offensive. Russia was turbulent. German influence in-fluence thought it was about to reap its coveted prize of a disrupted enemy in the east. The Russian armies were reported on the point of revolt and retreat. re-treat. The peog)e themselves were in a turmoil. Germany had pushed into the enemy country. Entrenched and fortified, she felt that Russia's effectiveness as an ally was ended. Japan was too far away to be of material, monetary aid. With this situation before her, Germany Ger-many felt that she could win through her submarine campaign, which was to be pushed to extremities of inhumanity never before heard of In warfare. Her propagandists in this country had been hard at work when on January 22 President Pres-ident Wilson sent his address to congress. con-gress. He appealed to the warring nations na-tions to enter into peace negotiations. He sought "peace without victory." Then Count von Bernstorff sent his message. It was said today that It did not go direct from the German embassy em-bassy here, but that it passed through some neutral nation. The possibility of Sweden having been used In this instance as she had been in others was suggested, but no reply was forthcoming forth-coming from the state department of- Secretary Lansing would not say when the United States came into possession pos-session of the messages, but the fact that the state department has had It for some time and that it followed the others in which Sweden was implicated implicat-ed led to a belief that there was a connection con-nection between this message and some Sewdish channel. Bernstorff Had Been Suspected. Count von Bernstorff has been suspected sus-pected before of influencing the German Ger-man propaganda here. In the attempts to blow up ammunition plants throughout through-out the country ; in the plot to destroy the Weelland canal and other schemes to hamper the allies' work in this country, coun-try, there was always the suspicion that the men higher up who were sought Included the ambassador. But the first time the ambassador's name was brought out was when Albert Fay and his companion, Scholtz, were arrested ar-rested in Hoboken accused of attempting attempt-ing to blow up American ships that were carrying ammunition to the allies. al-lies. The government secret service agents seized several hundred pounds of high explosives. Fay said he had intended to blow off the rudders of the vessels, but it was shown that his in fernal machines would have taken off about forty feet of the vessels. Fay said that when he came here he reported to Captain Boy-Ed and Capt. Franz von I'apen, attaches of the German embassy. He said they knew of his plans, but they had given him no orders. Boy-Ed and von Fiipen were in constant con-stant touch with the ambassador and the government investigators felt that it was inconceivable that the ambassador ambassa-dor was not fully aware of what was being done. Various Instances of destruction de-struction of sugar cargoes shipped to the allies were also traced back to German Ger-man influence in high circles. Department of justice officials intimated inti-mated that the investigations of the National Labor Peace council had led to evidence that possibly it was the "organization you know of." This was broken up by the government and three of the ringleaders were sent to prison. Marshall Voices General Resentment. In voicing the general resentment In congress over disclosures of Count von Bernstorff's message, Vice President Marshall gave out a statement declar- ing the disclosure was proof of the German government's effoyts to divide Americans into factions, by corrupt means if necessary. "This ought to end forever any and every doubt in the mind of any American Ameri-can as to the justice and necessity for this war. It proves that the German government was seeking all along to split us into factious, by corrupt means if necessary, and possibly hoping hop-ing in time to win the war in Europe and then to humiliate and subjugate us. He who is not now wholehearted for the war runs a grave risk of being be-ing suspected of getting part of the $50,000. This is an honest congress and all its members will resent this insult in-sult to its intelligence and honor." Congress to Investigate. One and possibly two congressional investigations will follow the Count von Bernstorff disclosures. The house is practically certain to conduct an inquiry in-quiry and senate leaders indicate that the upper branch would probe the $50.-000 $50.-000 "yellow dog" fund Bernstorff asked for from Berlin. Congressmen were denounced on the floor as "sus-piiious." |