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Show 'U. S. DEMANDS PROMPT RECALL Captains Boy-ed and Von Papen, German Naval and Military Attaches, Declared De-clared Persona Non Grata. IMPROPER ACTIVITIES Connection With Military and Naval Matters Strictly Objectionable Ob-jectionable to This Government. Washington, Dec. 3 The state department de-partment announced formally late today to-day that It had asked for tho recall of Captain Boy-ed and Captain von Pa-pen, Pa-pen, naval and military attaches, respectively, re-spectively, of the German embassy here, because of the "objectionable activities ac-tivities In connection with military and naval matters." Secretary Lansing issued this statement. state-ment. "On account of what this government govern-ment considers improper activities in military and naval matters, this gov-nr- -ieut has requested the Immediate ret ..11 of Captain Boy-ed, tho German naval attache, and Captain von Papen. he German military attache, as they ire no longer acceptable to this go-arnment." go-arnment." Von Papen's Offenses. The name of Captain von Papen, the military attache, has been brought to official attention in connection with plans to cripple American munitions plants and most recently in connection with the recall of Dr. Constantin Dum-ba, Dum-ba, the Austrian ambassador. Letters seized upon James F. Archibald, an American war correspondent, which disclosed the activities of the Austrian Austri-an ambassador, mentioned Captain von Papen's name. It was said at the state department that Count von Bernstorif had been notified of the government's attitude and that announcement hail been wltheld to give the ambassador an opportunity op-portunity to communicate with his home government. It is understood Count von Bernstorff has notified Ber- reply. The state department was believed to be of the opinion that as Captain Boy-ed had admitted his connection with the financing of the operations which the New York jury gave a verdict ver-dict as being illegal, there was nothing noth-ing else to do but inform the German Ger-man government of its views. By informing tho ambassador that the attache is persona non grata, the United States leaves it with the German Ger-man government as to the manner in which Captain Boy:ed shall terminate termi-nate his connection with the embassy. This Is the usual diplomatic procedure proced-ure in the case of an attache of an embassy or a legation whom the United Unit-ed States finds objectionable Captain Closely Watched. Captain Boy-cd's activities in the united ataies since me war uugdu have been the subject of close attention atten-tion by the slato department and the department of justice. Several times it had been broadly hinted that the American government might intimate lo Germany that the operations of her naval attache were objectionable with the inevitable suggestion that his connection with tho embassy should be terminated. Each time, however, the threatened action came to nothing. While the slate department consistently refused tc discuss the captain's t-nse, the German Ger-man embassy intimated that it had reason to believe ho had had done nothing for which he should be censured. cen-sured. Several weeks ago Captain Boy-ed and Prince Von Hatzfeldt of the embassy em-bassy staff went on a tour to the Pacific coast and it was reported they were going to Mexico. The report that the naval attache was about to be removed was again rovived. It was stated -at that time that he was going to the Gcrmn embassy in Mexico Mex-ico City as that was about the only foreign capital he could reach because be-cause of the allied control of Uje seas. Misuse of American Passports. Captain Boy-ed's first activities which attracted the attention of the government were in connection with the misuse of American passports to German reservists seeking to slip through the allied lines to join their armies. Some of tho men In connection, connec-tion, with those whose cases the captain's cap-tain's name was meutloned, aro now i t,-mc r fodoral ncnltenti- aries. Later Captain Boy-ed a name was mentioned in connection with the chartering of ships from American ports to supply fuel and food to German Ger-man vessels, which in the first months of the war were hard pressed tfy the allied flying squadrons. The same alleged connection came up again during the trials of the Hamburg-American lino officials just concluded con-cluded In New York, in which witnesses wit-nesses testified that Captain Boy-ed handled the money which came from Berlin for chartering the ships ana furnishing them with supplies. The government did not contend that an offensive against the neutrality neutral-ity of the United States had been commltcd by sending the ships, but that the officials of the Hamburg-Amcrlcau Hamburg-Amcrlcau line had guilty knowledge of tho tact that the customs houses I of th.0 United. States woro deceived! and defrauded into issuing clearance papers for ships on false statements. Boy-ed Cognizant of Offenses. The inference ran broadly -till through the trial that Captain Boy-ed too, was cognizant of the offenses which the government charges and iu the early days of the trial his name was frequently mentioned in open court by the government prosecutors. Finally the state department here suddenly sud-denly intervened and cautioned the officials of the judicial arm of the government, thato unless they expected expect-ed to indict Captain Boy-ed for" the offenses charged, -the language employed em-ployed by prosecutors should be avoided avoid-ed for the reason It might endanger the friendly relations between the United States and Germany. The German embassy manifested to the state department its displeasure with features of the trial in New York which reflected upon the character char-acter of officials not under charges. |