Show 11 1 pla E the K av se i r ca 3 I 1 K hi m for Y outturn years 0 by ARTHUR N DAVIS DAMS D D S american Arne rican dentist to the kaiser kais er from 1904 to 1918 copyright 1918 by the mcclure rew saper syndicate PREFACE for 14 years the kaiser was my patient all I 1 know of him and all that he told tod me rame came to me while the relation rel atlon of patient and dentist existed between betwee li us vor for that reason I 1 felt at first that no reatter how vital to tb the allied cause might be bd the information I 1 could give dive as to the kal kai sers viewpoint ambitions and plans the requirements of professional fess ional ethics roust mu t seal my as lips and compel me to withhold it from the world at large when however I 1 considered the tha grave crisis that confronts the world and in which my own country Is playing so important a part and realized that what I 1 knew of the kaiser might prove of some value to td civilization I 1 bcd that duty was paramount and rose superior to any of the ordinary demands ot of professional ethics in this conclusion I 1 was wai strengthened by the urgent solicitation of the leaders of my profession who were most emphatic in their contention that my ethical qualms unwarranted var ranted in yiew M all the circumstances cu cum stances ARTHUR N DAVIS D D S CHAPTER I 1 1 1 america must be punished ili when war broke out between tile the united states sand and germany on april 6 1017 1917 1 I was in berlin 1 I li had lid a lived and practiced my profession as indent a dentist there for 14 ayears ly years ears and the kaiser had been one of my patients during all that time 1 I dont know exactly how many visits the kaiser paid me profess professionally loj but I 1 know I 1 am safely safe in saying they were hot loss less than and the probabilities are they were e closer to alm almost ost invariably after my work was done the kaiser halser remained anywhere from ten minutes to an hour anda and a half to discuss discus s the topics of the hour with roc me bhea we declared war against germany Pe therefore while F I 1 wats was still an american citizen as patolo alc tlc an Amerl american canI 1 I belleveau belle veas might be found anywhere I 1 had lived in germany so go long had developed so many professional dional friendships in Germ germanas germanys Geiman anys ys roost most favored fadore d clr circles C les had and was so generally regarded asa as a particular favorite of the kaiser himself that I 1 fo found und it hard to realize that ne nevertheless I 1 had become an alien allen enemy the sa same meday day the breaking off on of diplomatic relations was announced the german newspapers lind had published the provisions of an old treaty between germany manyard and the united states which gave americans in germany and germans in america nine months after a declaration of war between the two nations within which to settle their affairs and leave the country this treaty tile the newspapers pointed out aas was madeiln tife the time of frederick the great it has never been repealed germany will respect it As there were so eany many more moie germans in america than there were americans in germany this prompt announce ment meat of germanos germanys Germ Germa anys intentions regarding this treaty ads was quite understand able and it seemed most improbable that germany would adopt any harsh measures toward americans and thereby invite reprisals had the situation been reversed of course the germans would undoubtedly have thought it expedient to intern americans no fio matter what happened to their thier own countrymen in am america arica and in that event this ancient treaty wo would ul d have shared the fate of that which guaranteed bel bluins neutrality one scrap of paper more or less would never have been allowed to interfere with ger banys destiny 11 influential Ger ruas who called to see rue me professionally during that fit period almost invariably expressed tile the hope holie that I 1 was not planning to leave berlin no a matter what hap happens happenie peni doctor they declared 1 oven beven if the worst cornea comes to the worst and warja declared between america and germany you may feel fee quite sure the tha k aaser will never let anyone ham barin yott y ou I 1 had not let the matter atter i n rest th there ere however I 1 had called ill at the am american clr an embassy where it if was point pointed out to me ine that alle diplomatic relations had been seve was nt not at all certain that war would result and there ivas no reason for me tol to leave pave berlin had ali the kalsar been in berian at the time I 1 might of course have lind had an opportunity liy toj put the question to him square lylas aa to what ray my fato might he bi it if war were dac declared lared but he was a away wicy tife the court chamberlain hod had been 6 appointed but a short time before ind and I 1 did not know him personally buthis but his pre predecessor dessor count august you yon I 1 one ot and most mast bcd nien men lit ilk germany yas ns one of my oldest patients and I 1 decided to discuss discus the situation with him unfortunately however I 1 found him too ill to receive me ma lie he was eighty years old and although unusually well lira preserved edit was lit in no condition on this occasion to receive visitors another influential pat patient lent of lof cinq mine whom I 1 nought out at tills this time was ex ambassador von sturm although lie ho was now retired from off official iclal life lie he hod formerly been a powerful I 1 alg ure in german state circles and still kept more or less in touch with the new court chamberlain and others in high office ills his was under secretary of foreign affairs I 1 found alid ex ambassador at his private apartment in the adlon hotel what will happen tp to americans I 1 asked if my country declares war against germany that doctor will depend entirely upon how america treats aur our subjects lid he replied somewhat more coldly than I 1 bad had expected of him it if america interns germans of course we shall undoubtedly treat americans the same way and you bu could hardly expect any special consideration although if you will write a letter aletter to the court chamberlain who Is a personal friend of mine I 1 shall see th that atlie he gets geis it but excellency I 1 replied there la Is a treaty between Ger germany maily and america I 1 understand which gives the subjects or citizens of one country who happen to bo be sojourning sojo in the other when bhea war Is declared nine months within which to close up hp their affairs and leave would not that protect mel me of course doctor he answered germany will respect the treaty if aal america rica does and then there w will ill be no trouble it seeing seem tome to me you must await developments and in the meantime you have na no cause for worry ll 11 suppose some of your subjects in america should act up tip and start blowing up bridges or factories and should be lynched which they probably would be I 1 suggested 11 what would germanys germanas Germ anys course lie be what germany would mould do then doctor lid be replied slowly and I 1 thoughtfully us as though such a contingency had never occurred to him before really doctor I 1 dont know what we would do dot I 1 this somewhat unsatisfactory interview with von sturm might have worried me more perhaps had it not been for a visit I 1 received only a day or two later from prince yon von pless one of the halbers kaisers kai hal sers closest friends and advisors who called on me professionally for a year and a half the kaiser had bad had his groat army headquarters at the princes palace it alace at pless in southeastern germany and I 1 knew that he be enjoyed his monarchs confidence when I 1 asked him regarding the possible internment of americans he assured me that come what hat might I 1 and my family had not the slightest reason for alarm alarms no matter what may befall other americans americana doctor lie he asserted in a confidential manner the kalser kaiser has gone on record to the effect that you and your family are not hot to be molested another incident which made me feel that I 1 could proceed with my preparations for leaving berlin without undue hasto haste was the receipt early in the year of a a most extraordinary ary post card from the kalser Nv which Illch it oct burred to metras quite significant as to hib intentions tent ions regarding my alfare on one side was his picture and ou on the other wi written litten and signed in english in ills his own handwriting was wab the ines sage dear doctor davis wishing you tou a very cry year ar for 1917 WILLIAM 1 I II 11 this thid was the first message of ibn lind kind that I 1 had ever rec from alie kaiser even in pence peace dimps the pica plc ture portals which lie had sent to me from time to time mid which ach vere eie autographed by hini him were alays si signed gnedin in german when on oil february 1 the germans resumed their ruthless submarine w altare a move mo e which w alch was immediately followed by tile breaking off of diplomatic re relations lotIons I 1 felt fe it that the kaiser must have foreseen tills this consequence and lind had sent ent s me tile the postal Is as an intimation that lie he wanted me to remain in berlin nc when the germans s sit nav 04 tile the busl I 1 tania living and practicing lug in G gur clr lany lost many oi of their attractions forme for me I 1 made up my mind own that I 1 would avoul d rather return home and corn com manco my professional career all over oer again galu if necessary than remain in a country which could sanction such a form of warfare alie wanton destruction of women and children to chat that end I 1 went to new york in tile tho summer of 1015 to investigate the re eufrem ftp for the practice of my profession bession in that state I 1 had bad an illinois 11 license cense hut but 16 wanted to be in a position to practice in new york and the following yeal year 1 I went to new york again and took the state dental examination I 1 returned ned to germany late in the autumn of 1010 imd later I 1 learned that my certificate had been granted then I 1 commenced active preparations to dispose of my german practice and return home my second dreason reason for wanting to got get out of 0 germany as soon as possible blei was the tact fact that food conditions in germany were becoming more precarious every day my wife and I 1 feared that our child who was two years old might suffer from lack of proper nour nourishment if we remained andi and 1 determined that no no matter how I 1 I 1 long lit might b be e necessary for me to remain in berlin my wife and child at any late should leave at the earliest possible moment my third reason however was by far tile the most insistent ot of all iliad I 1 had become convinced knew of tue tile kaiser anahis and his plans now that we were ere at war ought to be communicated munica ted to america without delay and th that atthe the only way to do that ade would be to get home as soon as I 1 possibly could na no matter what personal sacrifice might be involved in abandoning my tily european practice and interests it is true that in the early years of my relationship with the kaler kaiser our conversations naturally embraced only the most general of subjects but in later years when he came to know me better he cast aside all reserve rind and talked to me on whatever was uppermost in his mind at the time after the war started that of course formed the th e principal subject of our discussions and the part that america was playing in the conflict was frequently brought brough tup up because of odthe the fact that I 1 was an american Americ nn I 1 one ofie memorable interview I 1 had biad with him influenced me perhaps more than any other single factor to hasten the settlement of my european affairs and return home etwas it was inthe in the fall of 1916 1016 the kaiser had come to me for professional pro attention and utter after my wor kwas completed lie he remained to discuss some of the aspects of the war perhaps the fact that I 1 had just returned from a vi visit to america made him more than usually clr eager fora chat with me we had discussed various phases phase of the war when tho the kalser kaiser changed the subject abruptly with the tha question dails the matter with your country count ryll V in what respect your majesty I 1 asked why is lathat it that your country Is so unfair to germany why do you persist in supplying plying munitions satia and money to tho the allies why your president I 1 treat the European warring nations the same as he treated mexico by nutting u an embargo on munitions andal etling us fight this thin thing ggut out ourselves you do not ship us why do you ship them to the other side I 1 was wason on such terms with wit hilie the kaiser that I 1 did didlot not hesitate to answer answer his bis question with another 1 I have always understood your majesty that during the jap line anese war germany continually supplied munitions to russia why was that any more justifiable than america supplying munitions i to the allies then again in the spanish american davis you surprise met mel the kaiser kale interrupted iti rising from the operating ope r chair in which lie he had remained d walking towards me throwing ing back his shoulders and rising to ills his full height the cases are entirely different tit when we helped russia against japan we wi were re helping a white race against a yellow race dont ever forgot that dont ever ever forlet forget that thai but with Ai america that Is certainly not the ense cae your country Is noting acting from purely mercenary mercen py motives it Is a case of doll dollars a r 11 dollars dollars I 1 and each time he be repe repeated repeater atef the word hot ha struck its ills partially helpless left haud haild violently with ills his powerful right Ani america erlen values dollars more than she Ov values alues german lives I 1 slie site thinks it right to shoot domi my people jle he had worked himself up u to oa a degree of indignation which I 1 had biad seen him display only on two to or erthree three pre pre prep P 1 lous occasions and I 1 must confess I 1 aris re reluctant to start a fresh outburst i by ani answering his arguments his eyes usually soft and kindly flashed il alre as lie he advanced towards me and i slowly and alid incisively declared dav dails ls america must be punished pu for her actions I 1 in that expression which he repented repeated on subsequent in pre casely the same words and with the same measured emphasis I 1 knew that he reven revealed lid mostly clearly what his attitude was aud and will avei ever be toward this country OC CHAPTER kAPTER it ii the kaiser at getting butof out of germany proved to be a tar far aoa more difficult proposition than I 1 had imagined realizing that it would probably be suly erni mo months nth beffi el could finally fin ally settle up my affairs lind and that my child who was anemic ought to t be taken out of germany w with I 1 th its as delay as possible because food conditions were fast going from bad to worse I 1 at ap plied to the bonim for lea 6 have my wife and child go to mon f on broux troux on lake geneva switzerland where I 1 hoped to join them at the earliest possible moment and accompany them home I 1 did not relish the idea of their going across the ocean without me J that was in slay may 1917 weeks passed w while lille our application was going from one official toti nother lying per haps for dilys days at a time under a pile of other ether applications of asi a millar character or awaiting the investigation of our personal histories and etwas it was not until the end of june received any word regarding it then we learned that thai ishad it had been denied this was my first Intimation that we might have difficulty difficult yla in getti getting tig out of germany A bayor day |