The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-08-29
Investigation DiscloSeS Great
Difficulty OF Using Mexico As
Medium For Sending I'M formation

- & - = r. = r
Mexico city, Aug. 20. = CORES
pondence of The Associated Press.)-
The efficiency of any German
bureau OF information or any Ger
man spy system located in Mexico is
dependent absolutely on the efficiency
Of the censorship imposed by the
allied powers.
This is the conclusion unhesitat-
ingly and unanimously pronounced
by cable experts, telegraph men, and
diplomats of those powers who have
been in touch with German activity
in Mexico not only since the United
States entered the world war but
from the opening hostilities in
1914. In fact these experts declare
that information from the United
States to Germany could hardly be
transmitted by more difficult: or
longer route, and that those desiring
to transmit to the central powers
information of troop movements and
other valuable news would have far
less difficulty in sending IL from the
United States direct than through
Mexico.
There seems to be little. difficulty
in getting any sort Of news into
Mexico. There is small doubt that
many letters containing information
find their way across the border, al
though there is supposed to be a
strict censorship on the American
side.
Mail Routes.
There is but one mail route out Of
Mexico to Germany except through
the United states. This Is furnished
by the lines of Spanish steamers
which touch at Vera Cruz one day
each month. The majority of the
Spanish steamers go to New York
before sailing across the Atlantic
and such mail is available for
censorship at that port. All Of these
steamers touch at Havana where
GCuba being at war with Germany
similar censorship might be
exercised. II requires at least eigh-
teen days for letters mailed at
Mexico City to reach Spain and the
time is usually much longer and by
the time Information through
Mexico by. this means reaches Ger
many 1t evidently is old.
The only possible route by land or
cable wires from Mexico is over the
lines of the Compania Telegraphica
Mexicana, an American corporation.
The lines of the company start at
Galveston are routed to Mexico CITY
and then to Panama. At Panama,
there is supposed to be a'strict Units
ed States government censorship on
all, messages.
g When it comes to carrying news out
of Mexico by messenger, the problem
is still more difficult. The southern
Mexican frontier is cut off on the
Pacific side by Guatemala and on the
Atlantic side by Belize; a. British
colony.
Wireless Field.
The wireless field offers little more
advantage to q German spy system.
No apparatus is known to exist In
Mexico which could transmit to
Germany without relay.
( 1t is noted as a possibility that
news might be transmitted to vessels
near any of the countries bordering
the Atlantic, but 1t is argued that
such messages must soon be noticed,
when all the coastwise traffic is in
the hands of the allied merchant
marine, in which each vessel Is
equipped with wireless.
All of the allied powers have given
their attention to the possibility OF
secret wireless stations in Mexico
hut so far as known the search con-
Quoted by them has proved fruit-
less.