Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-07-14

foreign governments and on the way ,
this traffic has been handled.
If these reports are true-and /
believe them to be true--a military
enterprise" Of gigantic dimensions
has been set on foot and carried on
from our country against countries
with which the United States is at
peace. For all the arms and am
munitions the manufacture and de-
livery of which was contracted for
according to these reports were and
are to be used by Great Britain,
France and Russia in their war
against Germany, Austria-Hungary
and Turkey.
The mere manufacture and delivery
of warlike goods would, it is true,
not constitute in itself a crime as
outlined in Sec. 13 of the Criminal
Code Of the United States, provided
the orders are given by the foreign
governments separately and not in
connection with each other. But, If
the reports of the New York Times
are true, there can no longer be any
doubt as to the commitment Of a
crime coming under that section
since the New York firm Of J. p.
Morgan & Co. has been appointed
the agent of the Allied Governments
for supervising the entire traffic
within the United States. For in that
case the activity of the manufactur-
ers, exporters and fnanciers towards
furnishing foreign states with arms
and ammunitions to be used in their
present war appears to be organized.
According to the Times" of May
"a, 1915, the firm Of j. p Morgan e.
Co. acts as the purchasing agent of
the British and the French govern
ments. Some of its members and
some of its employees are said to
have held daily conferences with
manufacturers, brokers and agents
about the letting of contracts for war
materials. the firm is reported as
having distributed the orders for
such materials and to have let the
corresponding contracts and it is the
same firm of j. p. Morgan & Co. who
pays for the goods delivered. In this
way the traffic in war materials for
the Allied Governments has been
placed under one and the same man
agement in this country, Is system
'atized and organized as one enter
prise whose single parts are care
fully laid out on the basis Of one
common plan and are thereby closely
connected with each other. In the
New York Times of May 20, 1916,
you will, please, find a report accord
ing to which the law firm of Seymour
e. Seymour of New York are in pos
session Of a communication from
the British Government stating that
the firm Of j. p. Morgan & Co. is its
sole agent for handling the munition
business in the United States. Evil
IDENTIFY this firm was appointed sole
agent for the purpose of controlling
and regulating this business in its
entirety; for, unless a cablegram
from London published in the Times
of June "a, 1915, Is not based on
facts, the British Government made
this appointment in order to obtain
prompter deliveries and lower prices
and to have the whole traffic in war
materials with American firms car
ried on "in q businesslike way" An
other report (see Times of October
16, 1850 tells that competition in
bidding for such goods has been
carefully eliminated between the al
lied governments. The fact that tho
firm of J. p Morgan & Co., bank
ing house, is said to have established
an export department Chimes, August
Is, 1915,) is very significant.
Moreover, even the money with
which the purchased tools Of warfare
were and are to be paid for, was
raised in our country by one con
certed effort, /. @. in the shape Of the
much talked-of Anglo-French loan OF
$500, 100000, and no attempt was
made to conceal that purpose. In
other words, even the financing of
the said military enterprise" was
done within the United States, and
was done in a unified and centralized
way. Again it was the firm Of j. p.
Morgan &c Co. by which it was eff
fected.
1t should, in my opinion, not be
difficult for your department to as
certain the facts. The articles Of the
New York Times, / think, will give
you sufficient basis for this, and the
letter of the British Government
which seems to be in possession of
Messrs. Seymour & Seymour in con-
nection with these articles ought to
create suspicion enough to justify
you in examining the books of ]. p.
Morgan e. Co. These, it seems, would
reveal the names of all persons and
firms connected with the munluOn
business and, at the same time, show
the extent of its organization.
In addition, l should like to re-
spectfully call your attention to the
fact that, according to the Times of
May %, June 5, 7, 13, IA, is, IT.
18, 81, 26, July 20. August IL, Sep
tember Is, October "a, November 7,
IL and 20, 1915, numerous special
factories have been erected on Amer
lean soil for the sole purpose of maxi
ing arms and ammunitions for the
Allied Governments AS is shown in
the enclosed pamphlet on the III
legality Of the Ammunition Trade,
belligerent nation violates our neu-
trality and thereby, commits an Of
fense against the United States by
erecting such factories in America,
and it does not matter whether it
does so in its own name or by and
in the name of an agent. AS the
orders given in behalf Of the Allied
Governments we're Of such proper
tions that their execution necessarily