Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-15
DOES NOT BELIEVE
VON PAPEN STORY
That He Should Garry Incrim-
mating Papers Held Incred-
ibIe by Embassy Here.
NOT RESPONSIBLE TOIT
FOR HIS EXPENDITURES
U. S. Officials Deeply Interested in
Accounts Showing Payments
to Alleged Dynamiters.

Press dispatches from London
telling of the seizure of CORE
spondence from Capt. Franz Won
Papen, recalled German military
attache to the United States,
when he reached Falmouth, Eng
land, en- route to Germany, and
relating that they showed that he
made frequent payments to per-
sons charged with responsibility
ior blowing up munition plants
and bridges in the United States,
aroused the deepest interest in
official and diplomatic circles here
today.
The development came as a
sequel to the withdrawal of Capt.
Won Papen and his colleague,
Capt. Boy-Ed, the German naval
attache. at the request of the
Washington government.
German Ambassador Skeptical.
II don't believe it, was the only COM
mAnti Count Won Bernstorff, the German
ambassador. would make concerning the
dispatches. In German diplomatic quar-
tiers the impression was conveyed that it
was thought possible Capt. Won Papen
had been connected with the published
documents by British agents. 1t was
argued as incredible that Won Papen. with
the knowledge that his ship would be
taken into British port TO be searched.
would have carried any such correspond
ence as mentioned in the press dispatches,
even II he possessed it.
At the German embassy it was said
that the ambassador had paid con-
siderable money to Won Papen sal
airy and for the expense of such work
as he was expected to conduct mill
tary attache- Embassy officials had no
knowledge of his private bank account
or of how he disbursed the money.
Was Given Money by Embassy.
1t was made clear at the German en-
bassy today that Capt. Won Papen was
in no way responsible to Count Won
Bernstorff for his expenditures. 1t was
freely admitted that the withdrawn
military attache had been given money
on various occasions, sometimes be-
cause of his inability to draw funds
for himself from Berlin. When he
needed funds and could not obtain
them otherwise he drew them from the
embassy accounts
He was not responsible to the en-
bassy for his expenditures, however.
being solely responsible, ii was said, to
the German war office.
Embassy officials seemed inclined to
regard the matter as not being serious
They consider that as Won Papen was
withdrawn for his military activities,
the question is at an end, and the pub
lication of evidence which might or
might not show what these activities
consisted of is of little importance.
Interested in Check Stub Date.
AS for the alleged payment of $500
to Werner Horn. 1T was said at the
EN- ssy that the money might have
been spent in counsel fees. Embassy
officials were much interested in the
question of whether the check stub was
dated before after the explosion
which blew up the Canadian Pacific
railway bridge at st. Croix. Me. 1t was
said the officials had never heard of
Horn until after his arrest. They still
maintain. however. they did not be-
lieve the check stub showed any pay
ment. to Horn.
Secretary Lansing allowed it to be-
come known today that the State De-
partment would not consider the con-
copies had been received from Ambas-
sador Page at London. The amba ssa dor
has not yet forwarded any information
on the subject.
Circumstances of Recall.
When the recall of the two German
officers was asked the German foreign
office was inclined to seek bill of
particulars and Count Won Bernstorff
on the instructions of his foreign Office
notified Secretary Lansing that Ger
many would be Inclined to contest II
the United States based its request for
the Withdrawals on Developments in
the recent trial of tho Hamburg -Ameri-
York for conspiracy to deceive the
United States in official records con-
nected with the clearance of ships with
supplies for German commerce raiders
carly in the war.
After some negotiations Secretary
Lansing replied to the am bassador that
the request for withdrawal of the Off
GERS was based solely on their military
and naval activities, which had de-
stroyed their usefulness in this colIu-
try, and that the United States was
disposed to stand its diploma tic
preroeative of expressing its view that
iany official attached to any embassy
was persona non grata.
Evidence Never Disclosed.
Exactly what evidence the State De-
partment has of the activities of the
two German officers never has been dis
closed. The Investigations of the De-
partment of Justice have not been made
public and the inference in official cir
cles has been plain that this course was
followed because the United states was
reluctant TO comp1icate the delicate
state of relations with Germany over
the submarine warfare negotiations by
any move which might further infiame
public opinion in Germany or this coun-
try.
Another Powder Plant Explosion.
PHJI.ADF.I ,pHTA Pa Janu,r,, 1r