South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-25
By A. L. Beach.

tary of state the German emperor
has merely ornamented with a great
er title the man who in fact has
been the great driving force in the
German foreign office ever since the
war started.
Former Secretary Won Jagow was
an accomplished diplomat. a shrewd
negotiator, an affable gentleman,
who has been heriocally battling
against i'll health TO serve his coun-
try.
Zimmerman is statesman -
much more statesman than diplo-
mat. He is rugged and two-fisted.
He scorns the gloved hand methods
of the old school or diplomacy. He
would rather say what he thinks
and does. If he has confidence in
You all. If he does not have conf
dence in you he says nothing.
Expounding a conviction, he is
likley TO crack the table across which
you are conversing. He is pretty
sure TO greet you with a smile born
of a big heart and, knowing you
we'll, lead you by the arm to his
most comfortable chair and make
you happy by the sheer winning
force of his pleasantness.
This is Zimmerman, as 1 found
him, day in and day out, during
those weeks and months of the war
when peace between the United
States and Germany seemed hourly
at stake.
tiles Are Many
Calling on him early one evening
to learn the decision of Germany
regarding a sharp submarine ulti-
ultimatum from the United States,
l asked him:
Are we still friends, tonight, ex-
cellency?"
MY boy. we shall always be
friends" he replied. And / deep
ly believe the United States and
Germany shall always be friends.
just as you and l. Our countries
misunderstood each other sometimes
but there will be no quarrel. There
are too many ties-and there will
be more ties, always more ties"
Happiness over the settlement
that afternoon of a threatening sub
marine crisis probably prompted DR..
Zimmerman to sit longer with me
on this particular evening. We
&c &c of,
er things; of his days as a diplO-
mat i'm China, of the great person
alities of the war, of the German
armies.
I referred TO suspicious aroused
against Germany by the fact that
Germany was so well prepared for
war.
Consider your own country" he
replied. EFF you were surrounded
on all sides by enemies in league
against you, would you prepare for
WARP"
The British contention that the
allies were really fighting the
American cause as well as their
own. because Germany surely in
tended TO conquer America some
day, only amused Zimmerman. Ref
erence TO this claim always assured
a hearty laugh. He never could
quite bring himself TO believe that
there lived Americans who really
thought Germany had such intent.
Zimmerman's office tells thor
oughly of the man.
More than twenty years ago Zim-
norman adopted the foreign affairs
of his nation as his life work, ana
he set out TO master them. He be-
came a workman at a trade. His
aim was to be a master workman.
Stepping into his office you are
sure you have never before seen q
diplomats office where work was
the motif. There are no great Tnys-
terious mahogany desks; nothing 20
betoken dark secrets and hidden
pacts. There is a great Old-fash-
toned desk so placed that the light
that streams across the beautiful
park in the rear fails over the
workers left shoulder. Near by is a
high table holding a globe of the
world. With it's lines of latitude and
longitude are interviewer the trac-
ings of the worker. Beside the globe
are papers and references. In
corner is a single cabinet bookcase.
Terminate for Hollweg.
Here, standing at the table, or
sitting upon the hard. straight
chair at the old-fashioned desk. are
Germany's foreign affairs attended
to, thoroughly and expertly.
This work OF dealing with the
world begins at an hour when most
displomats have not yet arisen.
Dinners are held at a very late hour
in Germany. and IL is a race for
Zimmerman TO arrive on time, even
though he has long since given him
self the handicap of donning his
evening clothes in his office.
All in all, Zimmerman is the man
one would select 10 team best with
the German chancellor, Won Beth
mann ollweg. which must have
been an important consideration
with the emperor Both are made
more Of candor than cunning; both
possess the great power Of forceful
expression. Won Bethmann's is an
iron-gray visage: Zimmerman is
. Al