The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-10
NJ SUPREMELY
CONFIDENT OF VICTORY
Correspondent Says Local Press Exercises
Hypnotic Influence Over Entire Population-Read-
es Hear Only Of Country's Successes.

4 remarkable description Of the at
moSpherc OF utter confidence IN the out
come OF the rar Which has been created
BY the German authorities is found IN
the foiiocin9 article by the neutral
correspondent Of the London Times"
icho has been ristfing Germany. SO
potcerfm Is this atmosphere IN its hyp-
motto effects hat the correspondent him
SELF ,rds almost iron over BY Il. The
manner in Thich II Is created through
skifM manipulation Of all neus con-
corning the ,cdr is infinitely described
~ the toiio,cing article, extracts Of
Which have already been printed In
cable dispatches to II SUN:
myself able to take a detached view
Of the war. Careful study of the dif-
ferent official communicates had. / imag-
ined. enabled me to get at the truth in
Its essential features. Nothing, l was
convinced. could influence my deliber-
ately formed estimate of the relative
value OF the information officially and
semi-officialiy disseminated from the
various belligerent countries. Constant
reading Of all the large
published in belligerent and neutral
states had made me confident of my
ability to distinguish the realities behind
news and opinions and had made me
proof against atmosphere After a
month In Germany l found I was mis-
taken.
1t was a remarkab Bile experience. Be
fore many days had passed / made the
disagreeable discovery that / was being
influenced by the German war atmos-
phere. The confidence of the people in
the invinclbillty of their armies, the
smooth working of the State machine
that seemed to leave nothing to chance,
the determination everywhere noticeable
beneath the subdued expressions of feel
ing, the daily o%utpourings OF the press,
the contemporary lterature-every-
thing. In short. combined TO entice me
into "A different mood.
strange influence Pervades.
This strange influence grew stronger
as the weeks went by. My previous
conceptions OF war news. of positions
and conditions along the front and be
hind them and Of the general outlook
FOR the future underwent "A perceptiblt
change. | began to understand tn,
workings of the German mind, whici
had before seemed mysterious 10 me. Il
, became possible TO gauge the soul of tn,
} people and to comprehend to some ex
tent their confidence. their outward
unanimity. their spirit of self-sacrifc,
and their faith in their leaders.
e. The chief agency in the creation o
I this stale of mind. apart from the direct
influence OF the thorough military or
ganization of the State. is the shrew,
management OF the press. Ii will b,
Y remembered that on the outbreak OF tn,
h. war the whole German press wa.
A turned against England over night
T~wenty-fotH hours after ha wing praised
, the vigorous efforts of Great Britain
TO prevent war 1t denounced Sir Edward
a Grey as the moving spirit in a con
spiracy to assail Germany. None bu
=, distorted views from abroad were al
lowed to be published.
The German people were told only
what IL was desired they should believe
All unfavorable information was treate,
as lies and a thoroughly organize,
, press campaign was carried on In neu
: trail countries in the same sense. Tn
: "neutral' opinions thus inspired wer
reproduced in Germany as evidence tina
impartial foreign opinion supported III
= German view.
: BY these means the war mind o
the German people was created an,
y fashioned. The process still goes on
)! though. as ! have before remarked, IN
q French. Russian and British COMMIT
niques are now regularly printed in tn
larger newspapers and are frequent
criticised in the communication froi
the German Headquarters Stan. Bu
foreign reports have no influence what
q ever upon the German mind. TIT Ger
/, mans are so convinced OF the accurac
! of their own official versions that II
!, other reports count.