The Washington herald., 1917-04-01
Germans Sought U. Slap War
AS Blow to Weaken England
Teuton Intrigues with Mexican Generals and Poll
ticians the Basis of Stories About Nipponese
Naval Station in Lower California
BY JOHN l.. BALDERSTON.
Copyright. 1911, by the Mcclure Newspaper



Copyright 1917, by the Mcclure Newspaper
syndicats-)
London, March Cries of surprise
In the United States at the revela-
tion of Germany's Vaccinations in
Mexico evoked smiles upon the faces
Of the Britons whose task 1t is to
follow the trail of German intrigue
and corruption throughout the whole
world.
you Americans are guileless peo-
ple," wearily remarked a man who has
tracked the willy emissaries of Wilhelm
strasse in a dozen countries. You
cry out in astonishment when you
learn that Germany has offered Tex
as, New Mexico and Arizona to Car
ranza- and asked the amiable old gentle
man to egg Japan on to make a bid for
your Pacific Coast. Can it be that you
have yet to learn that German diplo-
macy loves better than anything else
to offer friends or enemies territory
always other peoples territory?
"Wilhelmstrasse told the pro-Ger-
man clique in Petrograd that Rus
sia could have a warm-water port, say
Basra on the Persian Gulf. This was
to be bribe for a separate peace. She
has promised King Constantine half a
dozen British islands in the Mediter-
ranean. Spain has been told that II
she will only do what Berlin desires
she can have Gibraltar. and some os
French Morocco. In all of these pro-
posals there is one common FACTOR
which also applies to Herr thinner
mann's proposal to Mexico, and that is
that in no case is there the slightest
prospect of Germany ever being in a
position, come what may upon the
European battlefelds. to make good
hs- promises And my informant lean
ed backed in his chair and laughed. and
then sighed. Good old Boche! What
should We do without him.
Two Other German Plots.
Making use of information gathered
during two years past. I propose in this
story to sketch two other German plots
involving the United States, one having
for its object the furtherance OF Teutonic
ambitions through a Japanese-American
war, the other an abuse of American soil
to prepare an expedition to conquer South
Africa in the early days of the present
conflict, in cooperation with Admiral
Won Specs fleet.
Germany's desire to embroil the United
states and Japan, which like most other
Berlin plots came to nothing because
both countries desired to remain on
friendly terms. grew up soon after the
entente between France and England
made evident to Germany that in the
next great war she might have to fight
England. France and Russia.
Between 1907 and 1903, possibly as early
as the round-the-world trip of the Amer
lean fleet, the German foreign office de-
cided that trouble between Washington
and Toxic would strengthen Germany's 8
position in Europe. The Germans rea-
soned as follows:
England and Japan are allies, but ties
OF blood and common interests make 1t
improbable that England would fight
America. II the world war comes with
things as they now are, Japan will join
our enemies and throw US out of the ORR
ent and America may come in against us
or at best will be an unfriendly neutral.
But preliminary war between the United
States and Japan will be to our advan-
tage, whatever the outcome. 1t will rup-
ture the Anglo-Japanese alliance II Eng
land does not come to the aid of Japan,
and Germany can probably later make
an alliance with Japan. Or II England
should remain faithful to her treaty and
fight the United States, the hatred thus
created would bring America in on our
side later and Canada. al least Western
Canada. would not remain in the British
Empire II that empire fought America
for Japan. So whatever its outcome we
shall be the gamer automatically by
such a war, as we'll as by weakening the
military power Of some of the countries
We shall eventually have to crush to at
tain our world aims
Bad Blood Stirred Up.
With these considerations in mind Ger
man propaganda worked insidiously In
Japan and California to stir up bad blood
over the immigration question. to incul-
cate in the japanese the idea that Amer
lea planned to exploit China and event
ually seize the control of the Pacific. to
make Americans think Japan was about
TO grab the Philippines and Hawaii and
attack the coast of California These
intrigues failed. but they were recon-
menced after the outbreak Of the war IL
1914. and are going on today. This fact
Is known in Washington as we'll as in
London. and one result of open war be-
tween Germany and America, II it comes,
will probably be the publication OF a
mass of evidence showing the Teutonic
origin of much of the Japanese-Ameri-
can war scare.
1t Is not necessary to point out that
during recent years much of this in
trigue has centered upon the hope of in
volying Japan in the Mexican problem
The scares in America about japanese
naval bases in Lower California and pos
sible territorial concessions to Japan or
the Mexican coast were founded upon
the activity OF German secret agents in
Mexico. who repeatedly bribed Mexican
generals and politicians to make tempt
ing representations to Tokyo. These
schemes all came to nothing. like most
German plots outside the Balkans. be-
cause the japanese saw. clearly the pit
Germany had SiiSged fo~ them ard declin-
ing with Oriental polteness to fall into
it.
Germany's African plot would deserve
book to itself if all the facts were
availa BILE. II has been known. here for
two years that in the autumn Of 1914 Ger
many had planned a dash OF the interned
Nuers i'm New York dharbor. loaded with
ammunition and German reservists, to
German Southwest Africa, guarded by
Admiral Won Specs fleet.
The plot in its broader outlines was
this: Germany believed when war broke
out that successful rebellion could be
stirred up in British South Africa, espe-
cially II German troops from the north
were to invade British territory. Ac.
COrdingly independence was guaranteed
the rebel leaders. and DR.. Seitz, the Ger
man governor of Southwest Africa, mo-
bilized his little force of $500 white men
for war. These plans broke down, the
BOer rebellion proving a prompt fiasco
and then Won Spec on November l won
his victory over Admiral Craddock's
squadron of the coast of Chile.
Plot in Southern Africa.
E.s