The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-16

| German Embassy, Washlng-
| ton, D. C.
Honored Doctor: DR.. Elder has
given me your lecture delivered in
/ New Haven and have discussed
I it with His Exce1lency the Am
bassador. In continuance of the
| conversation you recently had
| with His Excellency he would like
to know when the lecture was de-
1ivered and whether you propose
| to give further addresses.
| Also Count BernstOrf would like
| to be informed of your plans for
the future, as the Imperial gov
eminent has of course a. financial
| interest in them.
/ With most friendly greeting, I
am, yours devoted1y,
PRINZ HATZF'ELDT.
DIR. Bertling kept copy of his re-
ply to this letter. It is written on a
western Union Telegraph form and
reads:
Prince Hatzfed1t, No. 1853 Massa-
chusetts Avenue, Washington.
d.
New Haven was February
twenty-fourth;s have refused all
other engagements since March
first, but kept; previous until last
| Tuesday. Followed strictly. in
structions. BERTLING.
| Dr. Bertling's propaganda work
seems, however. to have occupied him
so much that he completely neglected
the organization of the pro-German
cable news service to South America
and China.
In a letter from r. Wa1ther of the
German-American Chamber of Com
merce in Berlin, DR.. Bertling was told
that unfortunately they are quite
displeased in the Foreign Office about
the carrying out of your special mis-
sion to supply a cable service to South
4 49, VII ~ -
und erstand why your instructions do
not seem to have been carried out
at all-neither Prince Hatzfeldts
plans nor the activities of the Ger
man-American Chamber of Commerce
should have released you from your
accurately prescribed task.
The propaganda activity, which is
recognized as quite effective. had by
no means been your chief mission
F'orfeits Confidence.
DR. Bertling not only incurred the
disp1easure of the German Foreign
Office by his failure to carry out his
special mission, but he also forfeited
the confidence of DIR. Dernburg and
Prof Muensterberg by opening let
ter from Prof. Muensterberg to DR..
Dernburg which had been intrusted
to him for safe delivery. Further
more, DR.. Bertling read the letter to
"a Mr.. H. H. Ezwers before DR.. Dern-
burg ever saw it.
About the time of his correspond
ence with Prince Hatzfeldt, DR.. Bert
ling, w1lo as the papers show, re-
peatedly had been used by Ambassa-
dor Bernstorff.s applied to the latter
for position in the German En-
fbassy in Washington. This Is made
clear in an Interesting letter from
Assistant Counsellor Elder to DR..
Bertling, dated March 10. 1916 in
-. - -
possible departure of the German Am
bassador from the United States. It
says.
Most Honored Doctor: AS the
Am bassador had a moments leisure
today, seized the opportunity to
bring your matter before him. His
Excellency is entirely agreeable to
giving you the desired employment,
but he considers the present condi-
lions too uncertain, as his departure
for Germany in the near future is not
impossible. If. however, the wished
for calm descends6 upon the country
in about IA days, His ExceHency pur-
poses to take up his residence at the
Ritz Hotel for the Summer. When
there, His Excellency will gladly avail
himself Of your friendly offer.''
In two letters of DIR. Elders refer
'ence is made to the strained dipio-
matte situation brought about by the |
sinking of the louisiana. On May
Is he wrote
.Happily the intense political sus-
pense has somewhat modified, but one |
cannot yet regard the crisis as past
as everything hangs upon the answer
from Berlin At least we have not
yet packed our boxes.
Ten days later, DIR. Elder writes:
saThank God the political tension ap-I
pears to have somewhat abated. We
expect pretty certainly to move thel
embassy to Cederhurst, L. l., at
once
BertHng's Credentials.
(Copyo
Minister Of intellectual
and Educational Affairs,
u. I. IL, No. 2811.
Berlin w. Aug. 5, 1914.
The bearer of these presents is
Dr. Bertling, Assistant at the
MISUNDERSTANDING Berlin, the
headquarters for the organization
and supervision of German-Amer-
Jean exchanges. He has complete
command of the English language,
both spoken and written.
He is also well equipped with
practical geographical knowledge,
and knows of his own observation
the topography of the Eastern
coast of the Z. S. as well as the
following foreign ports of Europe:
Amsterdam. Rotterdam, Flushing,
Calais Cherbourg, Plymouth,
Southampton, Dover, Greensboro,
sHarwich, Newcastle. Leith, Glas-
cow, Liverpool, Londonderry,
Queenstown; furthermore, GibraI-
tar, Marsei1les, Nice, Genoa, Ath-
ems, ConstantinopIe, as well as the
Norwegian coast from Bergen to
Hammerfest.
Dr. Bertling was commissioned
bv the American Embassy in Ber-
lin in, the years 1s11--1913 as instruc-
tor of two American naval o1-icers
detailed by the United States Navy
Department to the Naval Attache
here, and in this capacity had an
unusual opportunity to make him
self acquainted with questions and
literature bearing upon trade and
shipping.