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Show CONSPIRACY OF BERNSTORFF WASHINGTON, Dec. 9. More letters let-ters from the secret files of Count von Bernstorff were read to the senate sen-ate committee investigating German and brewery propaganda today by A. Bruce Bielaski, chief of the bureau of investigation of the department of justice. jus-tice. 'Among them were instructions to all Gorman consuls in the United States to get German subjects out of plants producing materials for the Al -lies. , The consuls were ordered to slop Germans, above the Yank of common laborer, from working in such plants, undor a section qf tho imperial code, and to report to the German consulate at New York. Bielaski read to the committee at length from the diary of Dr. Karl F. Fuehr, the German agent whose activities ac-tivities figured prominently in the Investigation, In-vestigation, Tho notes of Fuehr said that on the day following the publication publi-cation of private letters of H. F. Albert Al-bert ho consulted with Albert at Ced-arhurst. Ced-arhurst. N. Y.. and later discussed the incident with Samuel Unterihycr. Letters were submitted to.shqw that the Hans Lcboau relief bureau was organized or-ganized in New York with branches in principal cities, to aid in influencing Germans and Americans to give up their work in munition factories. This bureau ostensibly was a philanthropic organization. A report made to the German embassy em-bassy in February. 191G, by Lebeau showed that the bureau had placed 4.15G laborers and that many skilled workers who had no trouble finding other work themselves had been persuaded per-suaded to leave munition plants. The bureau also took an enrollment of Germans and Austrians who had had military experience and it kept up Its work until after Bernstorff departed de-parted upon the breaking of relations between the United States and Germany. Ger-many. Capt. Von Rlntelen Bielaski told how when Captain Franz von Rintelen came to the United States in 1915 to endeavor to stop shipments to Great Britain, ho met David Da-vid Lamar, convicted afterward in Now York and sent to prison for impersonating imper-sonating A. Mitchell Palmer, then a member of congress. Von Rlntelen formed labor organizations in the interest in-terest of keeping tho United States out of war through Lamar, he said, and In connection with that work five hundred hun-dred thousand dollars was collected. "Only a small part of it was spent, however," said Bielaski. "Lamar had a habit of taking credit for a great many things he had nothing to do with. At n mass meeting In Now Jersey, at which Secretary Bryan spoke, Lamar took credit for organizing, but ho had nothing to do with it." The New York Staats Zeitung was mentioned by Bielaski in connection with tho financing of a secret propaganda, propa-ganda, tho extent of ?185. Just what was the project referred to was not disclosed by the correspondent, correspon-dent, but tho witness said it might have been in connection with the elcc- liuii ui uuugi uaaixiiiu uuvuuuiiu. A letter from Theodore Otto, German consul at Allentown, Pa., addressed to the counsellor of the German embassy, was read by the witness, telling of a conversation between Otto and an unnamed un-named person. "Our conversation drifted to the military mil-itary preparedness of the United States," tho letter said. "And I heard that a relative of this gentlemen held a position In which he was able to give Information in this regard. Perhaps Per-haps It might be opportune to follow out this clew." Bielaski testified that Germany spent more than $7,700,000 for the dissemination dis-semination of propaganda in this country coun-try from the beginning of tho war. Some of this, he said was used in purchasing pur-chasing controlling Interests In newspapers, news-papers, some for tho printing and distribution dis-tribution of pamphlets, and some was sent to tho German consulates in principal prin-cipal cities. The money used for propaganda was obtained largely through- the Issuance of German treasury notes in this country, coun-try, Bielaski said. Evidence obtained by the department of justice showed that the funds of the German embassy amounted to $27,850,000. Hearst and Bolo Paoha Bielnski was asked by Senator Overman Over-man to put in tho hearing an account of the activities of Bolo Pasha, executed exe-cuted in Franco as a spy, while he was in this country. Bolo was brought to this country by a representative of Hearst, Biolaski said, and was taken to the German embassy by Adolph Paponstart, a wealthy German of New York, who is now Interned. Later, tho witness said, Bolo was introduced to Hearst who Invited him to lunch and who later attended at-tended a numbor of meetings with him. Bolo's mission in this country was ostensibly to obtain print paper, tho committeo was told, but in reality it was to obtain money for purchasing a paper In France. After getting it, ho returned to Franco. "Thero is one fact about Bolo wc have which was never brought out bo-fore," bo-fore," Bielaski said. "That is that he was in touch with tho Gorman embassy embas-sy hero shortly after war began In 1914. In a notebook of Dr. Albert which we have In our possession, this entry appears: " 'Proparo telegram to Pash.' That shows conclusively that the embassy knew intimately of Bolo and probably knew of his activities." Tried to Influence Negroe6. Efforts of the Germans to create pro-German feeling among the negroes of tho Bouth proved entirely unsuccessful, unsuc-cessful, Biolaski stated. Stories wero circulated there to the effect that the negroes were doscendanta of the Indians In-dians and were tho rightful owners of the land. Instead of tho white people. Another story, designed to create feeling feel-ing against Iho English, was a perverted per-verted account" of the aid given the south during tho civil war. "Tho negroes did not take to these stories, however,'" Bielaski said, "as they were too loyal. Money spent in the south for propaganda was thrown away." Activities of Labor National Peace Council, organized In Chicago in May, 1910, wero discussed by Bielaski. Tho purpose of the organization was to crystalllzo sentiment for peace and to demand that tho. shipment of muni-Uions muni-Uions to tho Allies bo stopped. The council accomplished nothing. Bielaski said, largely because Samuel Gomp-erB, Gomp-erB, president of the American Federation Fed-eration of Labor, took a firm stand against It. An attempt to purchase an American newspaper which would be- in sympathy sym-pathy with Germany was made with-f out success, Bielaski said, shortly before be-fore the United States entered the war. Tho Printers and Publishers' association associa-tion was organized by Dr. Hugo Sweitzer, Max W. Steur, Emll Kippel t and Henry Wiscmann, he said, and an, effort was made .to obtain $2,000,000 ( for the purchase. Tho scheme fell through, however, when the German embassy refused to sanction it on the. ground that the organizers had "too) German names," 'and that it would bo under suspicion from the start. ! Questioned about the attitude of William Randolph Hearst, Bielaski said: "Of all the newspapers published in the United States, those published by Mr. Hearst were the most pronounced in favor of Germany. There is no other man whose attitude was so friendly to Germany In the war." "If this inquiry we're limited o paid propagandists." he added,- "we could not mention Mr. Hearst. There Is no evidence that Mr. Hearst received any profits from the German.govornment lor from anyone acting for it." "What was his attitude after the. United States entered the war?" asked' Chairman Overman. "After we entered the war," said tho . witness, "his attiludo continued very) questionable. Many articles in his papers, pa-pers, If published before the passage of the espionage act, as amended, would have subjected him to prosecution." prosecu-tion." |
