Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-09-19
ANOTHER INTRIGUE CHAPTER.
Swedish Charge in Mexico Was DO
pended Upon by Germany.


vealed tonight by Secretary Lansing
in the form Of a letter to the Imperial
Chancellor from the notorious yon
Eckhardt, the German minister at
Mexico City, to whom the intercept
ed Zimmerman note was addressed.
1t disclosed that Folke Cronholm,
then Swedish charge in Mexico, was
depended upon by the German diplo-
mat to furnish information from the
"hostile camp" and to transmit COM
munications to Berlin, and that Won
lGckhardt wanted him rewarded by
secret award from the Kaiser of the
"order of the crown OF the second
class"
This letter was written on March
8, 1916, and apparently has been In
possession of the American govern
ment for long time. 1t was made
public without comment, shedding
light upon the methods of another
Swedish diplomatic representative in
this hemisphere, at time when the
United States and her allies are
awaiting with interest Sweden's ex-
planation to Argentina Of the con-
duct of her minister at Buenos Aires,
who transmitted the German "sink
without leaving trace" dispatches.
Baron Akerhielm, Swedish charge
here, said tonight in response to
query that Cronholm was dimissed
from the diplomatic service last Jan
uary. He would not discuss the case,
but there was no intimation that it
was in any way connected with Cron-
holms relations with the Germans.
Baron Akehielm called at the State
Department during the day to inform
Secretary Lansing that he had receiv-
ed from his government the state
ment already given to the public at
Stockholm explaining that Sweden
had forwarded dispatches from the
German minister at Buenos Aires to
Berlin in German code without
knowledge Of their contents. 1t is
assumed that the Stockholm foreign
office would not address any commu-
nication to the American government
on the subject.
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'affaires here, since his
arrival here has not disguised his
sympathy for Germany, and has en-
tered into close relations with this
legation.
'He is the only diplomat through
whom information from a hostile
camp can be obtained. Moreover, he
acts as intermediary for official Dip
lomatic intercourse between this le-
cation and your excellency. In the
course of this, he is Obliged to go per-
sonally 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 Toxic, and was respon-
sible for the preliminary arrange
ments which had to be made for the
representation of his country in each
case. Before he came out here he
had been in charge of the consulate
general at Hamburg. Herr Cron-
holm has not got Swedish, but only
Chinese order at present. I venture
to submit to your excellency the ad-
visibility of laying before his majes-
ty, the Emperor, the name of Herr
Cronholm, with view to the crown
order Of the second class being be-
slowed upon him.
1T would perhaps be desirable in
order not to excite the enemy's sus-
picion, to treat with secrecy the mat
ter Of the issue of the patents until
the end Of the war, should the decis-
ion be favorable to my suggestion.
This would mean that the matter
would be communicated to no one
but the recipient 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 the end Of the
war.
81 should be particularly grateful
to Your Excellency If | could be fur
nishcd with telegraphic news of the
bestowal Of the decoration. which
strongly recomemnd in view Of the
circumstances detailed above.