The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-19
BEL CLANS FORGED INTO 0OMP. .oORY
 SgYN. Al oaDER OF {. REAL BOSS"
Feneral VOn LudendOrff Is Real Boss" of Germany. He Was Responsible for Enslaving Belgians
 and U-Boat War
l VON HINDENBURG IS
 A POWERFUL FACTOR IN TEUTON POLICIES

Geneva, Switzerland, Febru- ary 18.- (Staff Correspondent of the Associated Press.) Germany now has a real "boss" in General Von Luden- dorff, first quartermaster gen eral. The hand of Field Mar shal Von Hindenburg, chief of staff, is felt only in his strategic determinations and direction of the armies of the central powers, but reaches out into Germany's whole eco homie and social life.
 All the threads of military control, civil administration, food distribution, industry, agriculture and finally even of German foreign relations, now run to the chateau at the Silesian country, where General Ludendorff sits with the great Field Marshal Hindenburg in conferences.
 The talented general staff officer who, in the exciting days of August, 1914, when the original German commander in the jac cf under Gaffron, had determined to retire before the superior Russian forces, was l hurried eastward from imperial headquar- ters, picking up Field Marshal Von Him denburg on the way, to save the situa- tion, has merely extended to all of Ger many the system which he introduced in the east when Von Hindenburg was merely the 'overcommander'' of the eastern forces. General Ludendorff then had full control of the entire administra tion in the occupied districts of Russia. If new customs tariff were to be in- troduced for Poland if regards for the to- bacco trade were to be promulgated the decision thereon ultimately rested with General Ludendorf."
 BOSS" EXTENDS CONTROL
 When Field Marshal Won IIindenburg was appointed to the general command of Germany's military strength, General Von Ludendorff extended his control of those factors of general life which are almost as important to military success as the actual direction of armies-food production and distribution. manufactu- | fot t;r,,, ,k<~ industrial factors. His first decision was to remedy as far as possible the error of General Falkenhayn, former chief of the general staff, who had attempted to fix the figure for the maximum -consump- ton of munitions and had sadly under estinated the required amounts. Gen eral Won Ludendorffs determination was experts might calculate as necessary, but the maximum amount of which Ger many's industries were capable and sub ordinate everything else to this purpose. Finally came Germanys grandiose scheme of mobilizing the entire labor supply in direct service of the army The idea of the compulsory em-
  l many industry. it may now he stated, was also General Luden- 1 dorff's. not Gov. Gen. Von Bissins | or at any rate. when Governor l General Won Bissing and the civil I administration of Belgium raised | against this scheme, the impOssi- | bility of carrying 1t out without | exciting diplomatic complication. l 1t was "the higher military au- l thorfty" which oyerruled the objec- 1 ton.
 1 KRUPP AT HIS BECK 1 The Krupps. August Thyssen. the 1 iron magnate, and other big industrial | leaders of Germany go direct to Gen.
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