Evening star., 1917-09-14
ANOTHERSWED|SH
DIPLOMAT CAUGHT
IN |NGERMANY'SNET
FoIke CronhoIm, Charge at
Mexico City, Acted as a Spy
on "HostiIe Camp"
Won ECKHARDT SOUGHT
T0GET HIM DECORATION
Letter From Minister to Mexico to
Imperial Chancellor Published
by Secretary Lansing.

by Secretary Lansing.
How Germany's secret practice of u.s.
ing Sweden's diplomatic service for
transmitting forbidden communications
between German agents and the Berlin
foreign Office prevailed in Mexico as
we'll as in Argentine is revealed in
document published by the State De-
partment, which passed between the cele-
brated Herr Won Eckhardt, German min
lister in Mexico, and the chancellor.
1t discloses how Folke Cronholm.
charge of the Swedish legation to
Mexico, practically acted as a mes
senger boy for Won Eckhardt. person
ally transmitting as his legations own
dispatches messages for the German
legation, even going to the point of de-
livering them personally at the tele-
graph office, and how Won Eckhardt
recommended that decoration be Sc
cretly bestowed upon Cronholm for his
services.
United States Evidence Complete.
AS an added chapter to the story of
the recently revealed intrigue in Ar
gentina, the disclosure gives hint of
the nature of the evidence in this gov
ernments possession of Germany's il
legitimate use of neutral diplomats.
The full extent of this evidence may
never be published. but it is known to
be complete and this governments ac-
tion in making some of it public is not
felt to be directed so much at Sweden
as toward further informing the world
at large of Germany's practices.
It does. however. raise some specula-
tion as to how the Stockholm foreign
once win explain it. Stockholm has
declared that Baron Loewen. Swedish
sages for Count Luxburg, the German
charge there. without knowing their
contents. Whether the same defense
win be made for Cronholm is not
diplomatic service. The interesting
point. in the minds Of officials and Dip
lomats here, is how much the Stock
holm foreign office knew of the affair.
Neutral Diplomats Decorated:
Won Eckhardt's letter to the German
chancellor recounting the extent to
which Cronholm used Sweden's diplo-
matte privileges for Germany and his
recommendation of an imperial decora-
tion for him is regarded by allied dip
lomats here as further evidence of their
charge that Germany has distributed
decorations among the diplomats of
friendly neutrals for such services<prob-
ably in other instances.
Copies of the Won Eckhardt letter
have been forwarded by the State De-
partment to Amba ssadOr Fletcher in
Mexico. and to Minister Morris, at Stock
holm. but neither has instructions to
present the information to the govern
msnt to which he is accredited.
Dispatches to the department from
The Hague dated yesterday were that
UP to that time the disclosures made
by Secretary Lansing of the manner
IN which Count Luxburg had used the
swedish minister in Argentina as a
bearer of dispatches had not been pub
lished in Germany.
Letter Dated March 8, 1915.
That letter was written March 8, 1916,
and apparently has been in the posses
sion of this government for a long time
1t was made public without comment
shedding light upon the methods Of an
other Swedish diplomatic representative
on this hemisphere, at a time when the
United States and her allies are await
Ing with interest Sweden's explanation
to Argentina of the conduct of her min
lister at Buenos Aires, who transmitted
the German sink without leaving a
trace" dispatches.
Baron Akerhielm, Swedish charge
here, said in response to a query tha,
Cronhoim was dismissed from the dip
Iomatic service last January. He would
not discuss the cause. but there was
~,
connected with Cronholm's relations
with the Germans.
Translation Of Letter.
The departments translation of the
Won Eckhardt letter follows:
imperial legation. Mexico. to his
excellency. the imperial chancellor:
Herr Folke Cronholm, the Swed-
ish charge d'anaires here. since his
arrival here has not disguised his
sympathy for Germany, and has
this legation. He is the only dip
lomat through whom information
from hostile camp can be obtained
Moreover. he acts as intermediary
for ofhcial diplomatic intercourse
between this legation and your ex-
cellency. In the course of this he
~ obliged to GO personally each
time to the telegraph office. not
seldom quite late at night, in order
to hand in the kilograms.
Herr Cronholm was formerly at
Peking and at Toxic, and was re-
sponsible for the preliminary ar
rangements which had to be made
for the representation of his coun-
try in each case. Before he came
out here he had been in charge of
the consulate general at Hamburg.
Herr Cronholm has not got Swedish
but only a Chinese order at pres
ent- I venture to submit to your
excellency the advisability of laying
befQe his majesty. the emperor.
the name of Herr Cronholm. with
= view to the crown order of the
I'm. 3' CLASS 'e'hs bestowed upon
II ~culd perhaps be desirable. in
order not to excite the enemys sus-
picion. to treat with secrecy the
matter of the issue Of the patents
until tho end of the war. should the
decision be favorable to my sug-
gestton. This would mean that the
matter would be pmmunicated to
no one but tho r. sipient and his
government. and even to them only
under the seal of secrecy; while the
publication Of the bestowal of the
decoration would be postponed until