Evening journal., 1916-01-15
Gerard Objects Is Times TO
Censoring of His Personal Mail
BY CARL W. AcKERMAN.
7nited Pr 5 Staff Correspondent.

United Pr s staff Correspondent.
BERLIN Jan. 5.-(By MaiD Am
bassador Gerard has sent sixteen notes
to the Foreign Office since the beginning
OF the war, protesting against the cen
soring of Embassy mail at the German
border by the military authorities. Ac-
companying each protest was from five
to twenty envelopes bearing the mark of
the military censor. showing that the
letters were opened under "the rights
Of war"
These instances de not refer TO the
official sealed pouches of the American
government. but only TO general CORE
spondgnce to the embassy from the
United States and other countries This
has applied particularly 20 the ambas-
sador's personal mail from the United
States The notes were written on the
theory that the mail of a neutral ann
hassador or embassy is not subject TO
censorship even la war time.
No official explanation ever has been
made of the opening OF the ambassadors
mail. hut IL is believed this mail enter
opened by the censor, who opens every
thing he gets his hands on
The official mail of the United States
travels by courier. Once every week a
courier comes from London to Berlin
with a pouch forwarded from Washing
ton. Once every week he returns TO
London with a pouch from Germany.
These pouches are securely sealed aud
SO far no official pouch has hecn opened
by the German authorities and mo- rcgu-
lar courier has been interrupted. The
couricrs declare that German. English
and Dutch officials do everything posi-.
bic to assist them in their monotonous
tasl, of travelling by the fastest route
every week to and from London and
Berlin.
80 far as the American Embassy in
Berlin knows official documents have
been tampcrcd with but once. and that
was aboard an English liner on route
from Liverpool 10 the United States. ln
a porch from Germany one of the mill
tary attaches was sending a secret re-
port 10 the Navy Department at Wash
ington concerning Gcrmanys acroplancs.
This report was sealed IN Berlin and
lehfNlu l0NunN ~ lNN NNlNt 0lhINt NNi
when IL arrived m Washington the seals
had been broken end the report re-sealcd
with an imitation
Week in and week out, many personal
letters from the United States 10 Amcri
cans in Germany filter through bearing
mo- evidences that they were opened by
German ccnsors often, though one
will receive letters with stamps IN two
or three places showing they were han
died by more than ono censor.
All mail leaving Germany. however. is
subject to the most careful examination.
New rules which recently went into cf-
feet. provide that picture postcards. cs.
pcciallv postcards of public buildings
cannot be- sent out side Germany. Spies
have been using this means of commu.
nicating with their allies i'm neutral
countries Another new provision Is
that envelopes lined with thin tissu,
paper caunot be used TO send letters out
side Of Germany hccausc spies can 10,
easily hide something between the en-
/ vclopc and the tissue lining Thus ON
can see why mail ccnsors have developer
prodigious ability TO pry into letter
: and postcards of all kinds, no matte
what the origin or destination.