Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-09-11

Sweden and Argentine Sweden's plight
is more or less tragic; Argentine's that
of a nation long considered pro-Ger-
man refusing to join the allied cause.
and now finding that Germany's envoy
was plotting against her and laughing
at her acting foreign minister.
Sweden appears guilty of furnishing
the enemy @ith information-an act
which department authorities said could
but probably won't be construed as so
unfriendly as to warrant a break in re-
lations with Sweden.
Swedish representatives here, how
ever, were shocked" at the news and
professed to believe that Minister Lowen
old and feeble-had been an innocent
may be Sweden's official reply to the
offending official
MAY OVERTHROW CABINET.
The situation may cause the over
throw of the Swedish cabinet. Any
way it will make America doubt Swed-
ems earnest pleas that, if she can have
food from us, she will not transship to
Germany. Sweden's entrance into the
war would be an added menace for
Russia, however. so a break against
her will probably not be pressed.
AS for Argentine. this situation takes
the edge off the diplomatic victory" of
which the Argentine minister spoke in
congratulating his minister at Berlin
when Germany finally yielded to the
U-boats demands. AS authorities here
see it, the Argentine populace is likely
to experience another change of heart
toward Germany, and may now insist
that the government at least break with
the Teuton empire.
ASKS FOR EXPLANATION.
The Swedish economic mission imme-
diately cabled home for an explanation
of the incident, in view. of the fact that
the revelations tended to seriously ham
per their efforts here toward getting
relaxation of the embargo. The Ameri-
can government will doubtless insist on
a clear cut showdown with the Swedes
before it makes any concessions.
The messages added another link in
the chain of deceit and treachery mani
tested by German diplomats the world
over in recent times.
How it leaked is a mystery which
probably will not be made known until
the wars end.
Theorists suggested that either the
German or Swedish files at Buenos
Aires had been rifled, for the German
words 'spurlos versent" appeared in
parenthesis in the translated version.
to the Swedish for cooling they were
probably translated into Swedish from
the German. Hence this would indi-
cate the texts had been secured at the
source
On the other hand, the message went
on British censored cables The Brit
ish could pick it off, and undoubtedly
could figure out the secret code in
time. though the German, shut off from
direct communication apparently thought
the Swedish neutral code would be free
from spying.
1t was recalled here, however, that
Sweden has been strongly pro-German,
and 1t was argued either her own in
clinations or German duress caused her
to lend herself to this ruse. Sweden
has done much toward feeding Ger
many in past months, and has only re-
Gently been shut off from her usual
United States supplies.
In connection with the Luxburg pa
pers, it was remembered that British
at Halifax seized from Am
bassador Bernstorff's homeward bound
ship a trunk of official documents for
warded with the Swedish seal from
Washington and destined for the Swed-
ish foreign Office. The mystery about
the contents was never cleared.