The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-09
Note Received in Washing. ton Denies Flatly English
 Court Testimony
SPIES TESTIMONY
 SAID TO BE FALSE
Note From Berlin Is in Answer to Letter Presented by Ambassador Gerard Directing Atten-
 ton to Charges

Washington, November S.-Germany, In a note which reached the state de- partment today, denies flatly testi- mOny alleged to have been given in English courts that German officers prepared false American passports and handed them to agents" and ex- pr esses doubt that such testimony ever actually was given.
 I The note is in reply to a letter pre- sented by Ambassador Gerard on July 3l, directing the attention of the im- perial government to statements said to have been made by Robert Rosen- tral and George T. Breckow when they we're on trial in England as spies. It Is suggested by Germany that false passport was found on Breckow prob ably was issued by one of "certain in- dividuais in occupied territory and also in neutral countries" who have en- deavored to make trade of selling such papers at a good price.
 IF Rosenthal and Breckow really made the statements accusing German officials, the note says, it must be as- sumed that they were induced to do so by threats. promises or other pres sure.
 The text of the note, signed by Herr Zimmerman. under secretary of state for foreign affairs, and transmitted through Ambassador Gerard follows
 Flat Denial
 "The undersigned has the honor to state the following to his excellency the Honorable James w. Gerard, in re- ply to the letter of July 31, last, con corning the alleged issuing of false American passports by the German au- thorities.
 "The assertions made by Robert Rosenthal, who was shot in England as a spy, that a false passport had been offered to him in the offices of the German admiralty staff; that Cor vetionkaptain Prieger held a stock of falsified American passport blanks in the admiralty staff offices; and that the latter had shown him the water marks in them as well as rubber stamps for the legalization of false passports, one and all are not true
 
 George T. Breckow, who was arrested in England as a spy had been supplied with a false passport, the investigations started have borne no result. It is an established fact however, that during the present sit uation of the war certain individuals in the occupied enemy territory and also in neu- that countries endeavored to make a trade of issuing false papers of legitimation and of selling them for a good price. In this way a passport falsifiers' den was raided in Antwerp, which was already in exist ence when Antwerp was occupied by Ger man troops. 1t may well be assumed that the passport found on Breckow originated from such a plant.
 As far as the alleged testimony given by Rosenthal and Breckow before the English courts is concerned, according to which German officers prepared false passports and handed them to agents-if such testimony should actually have been given--it must be assumed that the ac- cused were induced by threats promises or other means of pressure during the examination to invent these statements in the belief that they might be of interest for the enemy state. They may have hoped to obtain a mitigation of the i'm pending severe punishment by placing the responsibility for the false passports on the authorities and not on themselves. Strong doubts existed here, however as to whether the alleged testimony was actually given. In any case the assump- tion that German government officials, with the knowledge and consent of Ger man government authorities, had pre- pared false American passports and handed them to agents. must be energeti- cally refuted.
 ''Ths undersigned avails himself of the opportunity to renew to the ambassador the assurances of his highest esteem"