American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-09-25


well as German Foreign Office In
yolyed-PrOminent Americans Who
Aided COuntry's Enemies Exposed
by Documentary Evidence Taken in
Raid.
FURTHER disclosures of far-reaching
terman propaganda, intrigues and
ilots in this country prior to the di-
lomatic break with Germany were
made Saturday by the committee on
mblic information.
In bulletin styled official ex-
Yose," the committee quotes numer-
Gus letters and extracts from letters
seized by the department of justice in
april, 1916, in a raid upon the New
York office of Wolfe Won Igel. Won
Igel. in carrying on his manifold pro-
German and anti-American activities,
the documents show, was in constant
touch with the German embassy and
with Count Won Bernstorff, German
ambassador to the United States.
Widespread Plot.
In the form of letters, kilograms,
notations, checks, receipts, registers,
cash books, cipher codes, lists OF spies
and other memoranda and records"
the committee says, "were found indi-
oations-in some instances of the
vaguest nature, in others of the most
damning conclusiveness-th the Ger
man imperial government, through its
representatives in a then friendly ma
= ton was concerned with
violations of the laws of the
United States.
Destruction of lives and property
in merchant vessels on the high seas.
Irish revolutionary plots against
Great Britain.
"Fomenting ill-feeling against the
United States in Mexico.
"Subornation Of American writer's
and lecturers.
Financing of propaganda.
Maintenance of a spy system under
the guise of a commercial investiga-
tiOn bureau.
"Subsidizing of bureau for the pur-
-DeSe of stirring up labor troubles in
munitions plants.
The bomb industry and other re
lated activities"
Case of Holland.
The committee, of which Secretaries
Lansing, Baker and Daniels are mem
bers, and George Creel, chairman, has
this to say concerning Holland.
1T has long been an open secre
that Holland is merely a way station
for shipments of contraband into Ger
many. Here is official confirmation
from the Won Igel records which
would seem to indicate a suspicion!
and confidential relation between th'
Holland commission and the German
diplomatic officials accredited to thi
country, or possibly a belief by tn,
40 OF
fully get the munitions to their owl
country. The message in code, will
interlinear translation is entered al
"A 2493 and headed German embassy
Washington, D. c., April 6, 1916 l
runs as follows:
Telegram from Berlin by secre
roundabout way for Carl Heysen
Consent sales Holland three hundrel
thousand chests (cartridges) and tw
hundred tons powder. Please get il
j.. touch with Holland commission. Sen
, der, war minister, foreign office, il
representation.
"'(Signed) HATZFELDT'
Prince Hatzfeldt was an official o
the German embassy.
The Hamburg-American line burea
of investigation, the committee states
an innocent pretending agency, wa
at the outset the secret service of tn
Hamburg-American Steamship com
pany. Under Paul Koenig, its mana
ger, it became an adjunct of the Ger
man diplomatic secret service. A let
ter dated July 20, 1915, from %. R
one of its operatives to 1000 (chaI
acterized by the committee as Captai
Won Papen, former German military al
tache) tells of the payment of $3.50 t
an unnamed person, under peculia
precautions, after the recipient ha
made this statement:
Il intend to cause serious damag
to vessels of the allies leaving port
of the United States by placing bombs
which l am making myself. on boarC
These bombs resemble ordinary lump
Of coal and l am planning to hav
them concealed in the coal to be lade
on steamers of the allies"
Money to Easement.
Money apparently went from Gel
man sources in the United State
through embassy channels to Sir Roge
Easement, the Irishman executed
London.
several lines of communication be
tween the German diplomatic serviC
and the Irish revolutionary moveme1
are ihuiOaIeu III the Cdptureu uOcl
ments,' the statement continues
John Dewey of New York, now editc
of the Gaelic American, a violent ant
British paper, was one of the actiy
agents of this connection. SignificaI
entries appear here and there; refer
ences to messages from the Germa
embassy at Washington and the Gel
man consulate at New York; mentio
OF a secret code to be employed /
communicating with him and of
cipher decoy'; also a notation, tn
details of which remain undiscovere,