New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-20
False Construction Placed
IN Letters by CrankS,
DR.. Albert Says.
NEVER FOMENTED
MUNITIONS STRIKES
,sserts Government Has Known
for Months of Plans to Buy
War Material Here.

~ 80
German Privy Councillor, a0ho has
:, office at As BroadiOoy, issued a
statement yesterday denying the
,boroes of German intrigue that
hare been made against him and
o,ber German representatives IN
,bis country He denounced as
iolss the construction placed on
docnments stolen from him that
his Government OGs engaged IN
,omenting strikes and melting
reasonable and seditiouS attacks
oooinst the government OF the
limited States. His statement IN
full fOuOrs:
Bv HEINRICH F. ALBERT.
Imperial German Privy Councillor.
IN view Of the wide publicity that has
been given the documents and memo
,anSa that were stolen from me and
the wholly false and unwarranted de-
suetions that are sought TO be drawn
from them as evidenced by news com
ments and editorials, / have concluded
in Justice TO the public and TO the
cause I represent as well as to myself
- rresent brief summary of the
facts
+ is inevitable that all sorts of wild
and irresponsible offers, proposals and
suggestions should he addressed from
every conceivable quarter to one hold
ing the official position in which l am
placed as an accredited agent Of one
O. the great nations engaged in this
unfortunate worldwide war. That is
The character Of most of the "docu-
ments" that were contained in the port
folio that was distracted from me.
Cites McLane Letter.
The published letter from a Mr.. Nc
Lane TO the effect that Mr.. McLane
"hss a plan for precipitating a strike
Of automobile workers" and that "a
strike could be brought about in the
munitions factories of Detroit, Cleve-
land and Cincinnati for about $780,
900" is a fair illustration of the worth
less sort Of dunk" on which the rep
resentatives Of my country are charged
with conspiring against the industrial
peace Of this community and are sought
TO be held up to public reprobation.
Letters and documents Of this sort
from strangers with whom we have
had no dealings or communications and
whose very identity is unknown TO US
are paraded under binding headlines
as though they constituted evidence OF
actual transactions with us or were
matters OF which we were cogniZant or
for which we are responsible.
Is il anywhere suggested that the
slightest attention was ever paid TO
that or any other letter of like import
or that $4,000 or so cents was ever
paid or agreed TO be paid upon any
such enterprise? Yet II is upon that
sort OF evidence" and that alone that
we find one of our leading metropoli-
tan papers editorially INDUCES in the
unspeakably false and reckless charge
against the accredited agent of a
friendly government of buying strikes
and Industrial turmoil" melting sedl-
ton against the government and or
ganizing treason.
II seems that every crank who
chooses to write a letter containing
any sort Of wild or disreputable pro
posal has the power to make his ridicu-
lOus proposals the basis of charging
me with disloyalty TO the country
whose protection and hospitality | en-
joy and deeply appreciate, and which
! have in no way abused or infringed.
have, however, lived here long
enough 10 have learned that although
your people are at times disposed TO
jump TO hasty conclusions on insult
fcient evidence, there is too much of
the spirit of fair play among them to
permit of your forming your final judg-
ments on such manifestly false and
slender premises when your attention
Is called 10 the facts. 1t is because OF
that conviction that | take the liberty
Of pointing out the fimsy and unrell-
able character of these publications
and Of the implied accusations on
which they are based.
Under Four Heads.
They may be ranged under four
l. Il is said that the documents in
dieate that the German government has
been engaged in the purchase Of munl-
tons factories and war xaerials, while
AZ the ,fc ol1xf has hQpn
insisting upon and supporting a propa-
ganda in favor Of an embargo by tins
country against the expectation OF
arms and ammunition. This is charged
10 be an inconsistent attitude and as
evidence Of bad faith:
insist that il is capable Of no such
construction and that the two positions
are entirely consistent, although in
point Of fact there has been as yet no
purchase made, contracted for or ar
ranged Of any munition or other fac
tory and none is in contemplation.
Whilst Germany and Austria Hun
gary had hoped that there would be
such an embargo, and have been ex-
pecting that the action of Great Brit
an IN seizing control of the seas
against neutral countries and in de-
s.toying neutral commerce in violation
u International law would result in
prompt reprisals of that character, we
nave still considered it our right and
GUY, whilst Great Britain continues
us piracy on the high seas. TO en-
oeavor 10 protect ourselves against this
course Of international brigandage by
stopping the expectation of war ma
VIlSis 10 the Allies wherever il can be
accomplished. whether by our purchase
VI factories or Of war materials. even
.Mough we are not in a position at this
ume to make further use of them in
our own defence.
A. / am unable to understand on what
heory our action in that direction
should be the subject Of criticism. II
We had the means and the opportunity