Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-07-21


exception, they reported to Berlin
that Great Britain would not go to
war. Members of this class OF spy
we're entirely unknown to each other,
and only known to headquarters by
numbers.
They were paid a minimum O.:
$4,000 and a maximum OF $4,000 a
year, and were usually engaged ia
some other kind of work-very often
. insurance work, very often as travel
ing statesmen. Quite a number Of them
were women. Out of respect for their
sex. among the spies We have shot at
the Tower of London the women have
been exempted and sent to long terms
of imprisonment
Further, there were the military
and the naval spies. This kind OF
spying is regarded as legitimate
among all nations. Carl Lody, whom
| saw tried by court-martial and who
had an American passport and spoke
American with the slightest German
accent, was a legitimate naval spy
and was so regarded by our authori-
ties, who treated him as we'll as he
could be treated in the circumstances,
and finally, very properly, shot him.
He was captured owing to clumsiness
on his part. Among other floppish
nesses he kept his code in his pocket.
and therefore knew at the moment he
was arrested that he was a dead man.
One of the things that led to his de
lection was the cable censorship.
Entertained Spies
We had been warned for years
that the country was full of German
spies, but did not believe it. Germans
were admitted to our clubs, went
about among US and seemed very
friendly. At the outbreak of the war
We found that we had been entertain
ing several battalions of spies. re-.
member the sight that went on day
after day in London Just before the
outbreak of the war, when they
swarmed to the German consulate to
get the passports viseed. Many Of
them obviously had information that
q war was coming and that they might
have difficulty In getting out.
Compared with the leakage OF
news into newspapers, the daily leak.
age Of secrets by cable is as a Ma,
CARA compared with a mountain
stream. am q pretty close student
Of the war and have read q number
Of your newspapers in the last month
but on only two occasions have seen
anything likely to be Of assistance to
the enemy. That does not mean that
there should not be a newspaper cen,
sorship. Our newspaper people from
the outset recognized the need for OF. !
ficfal technical military and naval &C.
ton In such matters. The danger Of |
a censorship is that 1t may be used to
exalt incompetence, to impair efficL |
ency by hiding mismanagement, toll
weaken resolution by exaggerated
optimism.
- AS to the censorship in general, itl
instructions are given to, newspaper |
people, they themselves form 'the
best censors. Trained news gather |
ers and presenters Of news are much |
more Intelligent than the kind Of man
who usually drifts into censors' OK |
fees. Neither military nor naval men
care for, the task Of censorship. The
want to be at the front or at sea. |
Judging by my own colleagues In Eng
land, believe that American news.
paper men should be very largely
trusted to do the censoring them
selves, provided, Of course, that Geu |
eral Pershing has a system such al
has been adopted by Sir Douglas
Haig, who, while allowing the utmost
freedom of correspondents, sees that
the dispatches are read and examin
ed by competent members of his staff
The dangers Of misuse Of the power
OF censorship are well known to those
who know what we suffered from the
hiding Of the truth about war for the
first two years"