New Britain herald., 1917-10-11
JEREMIAH 0'LEARY MAKES A DENIAL
Says He Was Never in League
 With Any German Plots

New York, Oct. 11.-Jeremiah A. O'Leary, editor of the Anglophobe magazine Bull and president of the American Truth society, has written a letter to Robert Lansing, secretary of state, denying that he ever was an agent of the German government to foster sabotage in the United States or that he had been engaged in promot- ing acts of violence here. The letter follows:
 Robert Lansing, Secretary of State,
 Washington, D. G.
 sir: Malicious and mendacious are the hideous suggestions you are striving to create in the public mind in publishing the alleged Thinner mann note. Whether it was forged by British agents or whether 1t is genuine you must know the document has no standing in any court Since it Is no proof it establishes nothing. Although I have been continually bounded by government sleuths, al- though my telephone has been tapped, my mail opened, my home and off, ces ransacked for paper; although every constitutional right of privacy has been destroyed by government that is fighting for democracy and
  though the Department of Justice can now trade my liberty for that of Ger man enemies, who should be interned by offering them freedom for false evidence against me, I challenge you sir, to produce one scrap of evidence to prove I have ever been connected with the subject matter of the Zim- mermann note.
 "The fight I have made has been legitimate; it has been in the open and my weapons have been reason instead Of dynamite. My crimes have been that have consistently fought the British propaganda you have encour- aged and protected. I have tried to preserve the neutrality of my coun- try as a means of keeping 1t out of war, and in war to protect the sights of small nations and for de- mocracy I have striven as every self respecting man of Irish blood should strive to secure recognition of Ire- lands claim to absolute independence. For these crimes I have been misrep- resented by the press and prosecuted by Woodrow Wilson and his admin. istration.
 Tt is my opinion that you could win this war far more effectively by demanding the freedom of Ireland rather than by prosecuting and de- flaming the men who are willing to make every sacrifice to compel this government to be honest about its war aims.
 (signed,)
 :; JEREMIAH A. O'LEARY,"
 O'Leary also denied that he ever had had anything to do with pro- German sabotage in munitions plants in this country or knew anything about it, as indicated in the statement given out in Washington.
 'The Zimm ermann message, if gen. uine, is a complete surprise to me- hG said. 'The only thing can say about it is that it is a matter about which I could possibly know nothing. What Zimmerman might say to his military representative I could not in any way control, but I am the con- troller of my own conduct, and as such I can positively say that I have had nothing to do with sabotage, nor have I ever been approached by any German agent on that subject.
 -'It is an outrage for the State De- partment to publish documents re- aecting on American citizens without any proof that they have been con- nected with the subject matter. I have been active in fighting the Brit ish propaganda with my voice, pen and energies, because I have been ( convinced that reason is far more effective weapon than dynamite.
 My work has been out in the open. I have been l connected with no secret intrigues. Every newspaper in the country is familiar with my work, and MT. Lansing knows this as well as they do."