Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-05-24
BRITISH ESPIONAGE ON AMER
ICAN COMMERCE..


While the country is aroused on
the subject Of overlapping and spy
ing, it would be well that our gov
ernment put a stop to the operations
Of British spies on American soil and
British mail robbers on the high
seas.
The Fatherland has brought to the
notice Of the Department OF Justice
in Washington, how Capt. Guy
Gaunt, Naval Attache Of the British
Embassy in Washington and head Of
the British Secret Service in the
United States, has endeaYored,
through agents, to obtain by theft
and bribe letters passing between
Karl Alexander Fuehr Doctor Of
Law, who, for a number Of years,
was connected with the German for
eign service in Japan and who is,
since Japan's enterance into the war,
is conducting q literary and trans
lation bureau in New York, and Dr..
A. r. Albert, financial Attache Of the
German Embassy, and other matters
of interest to His Maiesty's govern
ment.
But the rifiing OF our mails by the
British Government is of far greater
consequence Despite treaty regula-
tions which require belligerents to
respect the seals of private cores
pondence on the high seas, Great
Britain habitually seizes and opens
the mails between the United States
and foreign countries, neutral as well
as belligerent No seal is sacred.
Mail from Greece has been opened,
and the confidential correspondence
between buyers and sellers has been
turned over to British traders. Or
ders from foreign buyers have been
held up, and little later British
traders have offered to supply the
goods which the buyer was unable to
get from the United States. Specific
cases of such commercial piracy are
on file in the State Department.
Thus Great Britain is waging
commercial war upon the United
States and its citizens. BY the brute
force Of it's warships it invades the
mails, gains knowledge of business
secrets, and turns the information
over to British traders for their
profit. British trade with certain
neutral countries has rapidly in
creased. while American exports TO
tho same countries have rapidly de-
clned. This commerce has nothing
TO do with Germany, ana is not even
claimed to be contraband.
1t IS not generally known that ex-
ports from South America to the
United States are vised by Great
Britain and that exporters dare not
send goods to the United States with
out first obtaining the permission Of
British agents. The same system is
in vogue regarding American ex-
ports. Many If not all of the steam
ship lines will not accept shipments,
even to neutral ports. unless the
shipper has first obtained the written
permission OF British agents for the
expectation of the goods.
A censorship is exercised over
American commerce, on American
soil, by agents OF the British govern
ment. These commercial spies and
mail-trappers are part Of the machin-
cry set IN operation by the British
government for the censorship and
regulation of the worlds commerce.
Every part of this machinery is un-
lawful. The whole system Is an at
tack upon the rights of American
citizens and an impeachment of the
sovereignty OF the United States
Mr. Wilson has announced that he
is going to send vigorous protest
to Great Britain against the rifling Of
our mail Mr.. Wilson was duty
bound to send a vigorous protest
many months ago. If Mr.. Wilson
wants to succeed himself in the
White House he must first show that
he is capable and willing to protect
the American people in their rights.