New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-20

administration, and especially upon the
president, and that we would lend no
substantial support to the publication,
notwith standing any claim TO which II
might otherwise be entitled because
Of its pro-German attitude, unless we
could have a sufficient control over
its editorial policy to prevent such
attacks. / did this Notwithstanding
our desire TO assist a publication that
would place the merits Of the German
point of view before the American
public.
Mr.. Viereck declined to permit his
policies TO be in any way Influenced
by our wishes, and much that he has
said in his paper has been against
our vigorous and persistent protest.
4. As to the so-called German In
formation Service and the alleged
newspaper propaganda:
1t is not true that an effort has at
any time been secretly made to innu-
ence American public opinion. The ex-
istence of the German Information
Service was publicly announced to all
the leading newspapers of the country
upon its inauguration in October last,
and has become we'll known to tho
public ever since. II was founded for
the purpose, as then stated, of coun-
teracting the partisan news service
that up to that time had been coming
via England, in which the happenings
of the war and the conditions in Eu-
ropean countries were being grossly
misrepresented, to the injury Of Ger
many.
The embassy, which has natural
and legitimate interest that reliable
information regarding Germany should
be made available to the press of this
country, has always openly assisted
that service by giving it access to
authentic news items and official re-
ports.
Germany Seeks U. S. Support.
Germany is and has been avowedly
and anxiously seeking, and will con-
tinue to seek, for its cause the moral
support of America and of the other
neutral countries OF the world
1t believes in the justice of its cause
and Will leave no effort untried to
place the merits Of its cause before
tie world Notwithstanding the stu
pendous obstacles it will be required
to overcome in order to secure fair
hearing at the bar of enlightened pub
lie opinion. With every means of
cable and almost every other form
of communication in the hands of its
enemies, with all the powerful finan-
cial interests of the country arrayed
against it, with a press bureau un-
equalled in the annals of history for
efhciency and imagination working
night and day, year in and year out,
manufacturing the most revolving tales
CT atrocities to poison the publt mind,
fail to see anything reprehensible in
the desire of Germany to get its case
before the people whose friendship 1t
has had in the past and whose good
opinion and sympathetic interest it
is anxious to retain.
Will Persevere in Open.
This effort it has made in the open,
and in this it will persevere, notwith-
standing the discouragements put in
its way by this latest attempt to dis
tort its motives and to attribute malign
purposes to legitimate and praisewor-
tiny undertakings. For every dollar
that it has expended in advancing that
praiseworthy object it is safe to say
that thousands OF dollars have been
expended by our enemies in subsldiz-
ing the sources of information by
means of garbled censored cable re-
ports and by the many subterraneaE
channels that ale open TO them,
through their control of the news,
their vast expenditures and the far
reaching financial interests that are
behind them.
1t is because we are frankly solicit
tous for the good opinion of your peo-
Pile and resentful OF these baseless at
tscks upon our integrity and the use
we have made of American hospitality
that l have taken the liberty of tres
passing to this extent upon public at
tention.