The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-10

yelopment Itself is not, however. . great surprise, the chief surprise be- ing that the American officials were able to obtain the messages as they did the Zimmerman note of last wfn- Mexico.
 The Swedish government, with the monarchy. the aristocracy and the army officers, has been rated strong ly pro German throughout the war, and Queen Victoria, in several public utterances has proclaimed her Ger man sentiments as strongly as any German could The Swedish people, on ths other hand, aane repuxted arr lean4s ing strongly against Germany the more recent stages of the war, par ticularly since the unrestricted sub marine campaign began.
 Swedens leaning toward Germany was regarded as a natural comple- ment to her old fear of the Russian autocracy. but the entente nations held the hope that when the cause for that distrust was removed by the revolution Swedish feelings might un- dergo radical change.
 SUSPICION CURRENT
 The suspicion has been current in England throughout the war that Ger many was obtaining much informa- tion of military movements which could not be secured through ordinary spies, the spy industry, in fact. hav' ing been pretty well stamped out here for more than year past after few lessons taught by several executions in the Tower of London
 The belief that Lord Kitchener's death when the Hampshire went down was the result of information trans mitted to Germany of his departure has been persistent with many and tt has at least the foundation that his plans were known and discussed at dinner tables in high society before he started.
 Compliments to American diplomacy for the skill displayed in obtaining the messages are part of all the comment on the affair. Incidentally, there is much discussion as to wheth- CT in view of the British and Argen- tine experience with Sweden, the right of sending code messages should be given to neutral diplomats during the war.
 This identical question arose in Sa -F pan during the Russo-Japanese war when Germany sent military mis- sion headed by Hohenzoilern prince to the Japanese army. The mission claimed that international courtesy and the princely rank of it's chief re quired that it's correspondence be transmitted without censorship. This claim was granted but against the Judgment of most of the officers of the front. who thought that no un- censored correspondence should go from the army in the field and some of who suspected that even the prince was not virtually an observer for Rus sia his reports would reach Russia by way of Berlin.
 AMERICA GIVEN CREDIT
 ..The discovery and deciphering
 of the present series of kilograms
 is due to the watchfulness and
 skill of the American intelligence
 service" says the Sunday Ob-
 server The Observer states that 1t
 received this information from
 etruthworthy sources" The news-
 paper continues:
 Tt must cause some ground for
 reflection to the German govern
 ment that one of the first acts of
 their new enemy. whose activi-
 ties and value in the prosecution
 of the war they have affected to
 despise. has been to expose pro-
 cedure which affords damning evil
 dence against themselves and
 (Continucd on Page Two)