Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-03
WILES AND LIES
OF AUGUST 8, Il
The Campaign of Falsifcatio
and the Strategic Campaign
Both Outlined On
That Day

Il
! VI tude of naive interest with which ~
f, followed the earliest days Of the Gra,l
war, we can look back at August 3. isil|
as the most prophetic moment of the a.
| tire ghastly episode. The news of th..
| day-for what we knew, not what aotua,,J
| happened, is the fabric Of our Thoughts
was full of lies, downright fakes. off,c,.I
| falsifcatlons, and, what is more surpri,|
ing. 1t contained an absolutely definni
| outline Of the entire strategy of the wa
from that day to this.
First, for the small talk of that IA,
The London Daily Chronicle, by wav III
variety, announced that Emperor Francil
Joseph had been assassinated. This. savI
the dispatch, has not been confirmed. Il
battle In the North Sea, presumably beI
tween French and German ships, was n.
ported. 1t is still to take place. canI
laiux was reported killed by the son a
CASTOR Calmette, faint provocative echo
of the two weeks before the war bro,,l
out. Roland Garros, report had II, had
met, engaged, rammed and DESTROYED N
German aeroplane. AS a matter OF fart
recorded once before, NJ. Garros read ths
report Of these doings in his apartment
in Paris which he had not yet quit. Thsl
fact that the second of August, which
dated all our cabled dispatches, was an
anniversary cropped up in conversations|
Forty-four years to a day had passed
since the opening battle OF the Francol
Prussian War at Saarbrueck on German
soil Sedan Day was only a month on
The. coincidence was ominous.
A piece of official Justification which M
ceived wide publicity two years ago todaT
has only just been denied by the authou
The military authorities at Berlin gayl
IL out that a French aviator had bee,*
dropping bombs on the unfortified towrH
of Nuremburg, Bavaria, and added tLs
this was a crime against the rights d
man, as there had been no declaration n
war. Later this bomb dropping was madl
one of the vital reasons for war againsf
France. Only last month the officer wh,
reported the outrage declared that tha.
was not the shadow of truth in 1t and
several German publicists have mad
open apology to France for the lie. ThgI
have not been able to undo what the wul,
has done.
Wars Strategy Revealed
For the sake of full view we mus
now add in the news of the next dsy
chiefly the entrance of England into Id
conflict. With that in hand the event
reported on August 3 are startlingly pro
phetic OF what was to come, Luxen
httr invaded tt.k||
fighting at the south and the Russia
troops had reached three German citis
on their way to Koenigsberg. An In
vasion of Austria by Russia was also n
ported and the attack against Belgrad
fell away to a desultory bombardmeni
In effect the entire military strategy
the war was revealed and the failure
Germany exposed.
Bernhard IS our authority for theory
Bismarck our guide in diplomacy, he
German General Staff confirming ever
step. The plan of the German Genen
Staff was to eliminate one enemy befoH
the other threatened seriously. That
the explanation of all the diatribA
against Russia and France for mobIlihns
before war was Observation-Disclosures whid
fell off in intensity after Germany ha
invaded France without a declaratiol
The mobilization of Russia was probabl
the determining factor in the first IN
months Of the war, and the presence
Russian troops on German soil at Il.
very minute when German troops frs
touched Luxembourg and France mus
have been a terrible blow to the staff. Fa
note how the fortunes of war follows
Just these lines
The invasion of France was quick
followed by violation of Belgium, clear
indicated in dispatches from London
this same day. The Uhlans swept Int
Belgium and one month later were with
sight of Paris. Yet as they stood on D
threshold they were, rudely thrown baeI
partly by superior strategy, partly
the spirit OF France and mostly by Q
fact that huge numbers had been CALI
away to save the German port of KoI
nigsberg. BY the time the Russians We
thrown out OF Posen the armies OF Franz
were ready. After the battle OF o
Marne Russia began again, this time
tacking Austria. The system OF alte
mating attacks proved a wonderful
fensive. For two years Germany he
her choice OF whom to hit onSe. at ieas
she chose badly. in the summer of Isl
Lloyd George has just confessed that
months ago the British army had on
5000 shots In its lockers; that the Sligo
est offensive would have hurled them bae
TO the sea. Just then Germany was bna
with Russia.
Other Forecasts
other things. less important. were as
foreshadowed on that day. The man
facturers OF arms in this country we
"queried," not only by the Entente pa
by Germany. as to their capacities. IN
British fleets were mobilizing. Japs=
was standing by, ready. The German
ln. IN Ealpium