The Washington herald., 1917-07-01


dinner orators in England. and Amer
leans Of English ancestry in the
United States, have not always real
ized what the German propagandists
have been quick to seize upon, that
most Americans are not Of Anglo
being told that this war has anything
to do with the Anglo-Saxon race.
II was a typical Anglo-Saxon, an
officer of the intelligence department
who receives reports of enemy mach
nations in all countries. who re-
Saxons say about ourselves just now
the better, as we are Of German ex-
traction, indeed. one of the German
tribes that Hindenburg talks about
in his bulletins. Not only Is Anglo
Saxon blood In an enormous minority
In America, but even here our most
patriotic philologists are now anxious
to prove that Celtic blood, which has
nothing to do with the Germans, Is
predominant In England as well as in
Scotland. ireland and Wales Wheth-
er this Is true or not. the Anglo-Sax-
this war. as political issue. than the
man in the moon. The Anglo-Saxon
peril is typical German red her.
ring dragged across your path, and
If all the other enemy plots were as
stupid as that one, none of US would
need to lie awake nights"
German propaganda is also reported
to be active in America with the OBJ
1ect Of convincing Americans that the
nations OF Europe are tired of lighting
and about ready to call the war a
draw. 1t is being assisted by we'll
meaning but mistaken optimists who
preach that the war is won and the
Germans on the very verge of col
lapse. The American may well say
aTf the iS dF.ar hx
should we bother to get ourselves
killed" or he may say, "Since the al
lies have won the war without US
why should we give up our lives fol
a cause already about to triumph"
Wants Truth for Public.
II statesmen of all countries would
think less from the Propaganda OF
press agent point of view, and conde.
scend to explain to the public the
truth as they see IL rather than what
is thought best for the public to be-
lieve. these questions would not he
asked and the way of the German
agent would be made much harder
The truth about the war, in the opin-
ion of the best informed circles Is that
II America provides the men to dc
this, Germany will surrender rather
than submit to inevitable defeat; but
for practical purposes this eventually
need not be considered, because un-
less America g6es full speed ahead
on the assumption that her power
will be needed, Germany will not give
in but will obtain a peace Of eXhaus-
ton; a draw that in view of the Ger
man exploits of 1914 and 1915 will be,
in its political effect, a German VIC
tory.
Put In this way, the need for the
maximum American effort in the
shortest possible time becomes evi-
dent, and the German sophistries cir
culated in America are seen in their
true light. 1t is unfortunately only an
American reporter like myself who can
write these things from Europe. be-
cause statesmen naturally feel that
they cannot admit to their own suf-
ferlng and heroic populations that but
for the problematlcal efforts of a new
ally all the horrors and sacrifices en-
dured will have been suffered in vain.
The way for Americans to shorten
the war, then, is to speed up things
on the assumption that the war Will
be long and hard. If they do this, the
war may be very short one. II they
do not, it is certain either TO last a
long time or to come to an unsatis-
factory end.
In a high official quarter yesterda =
obtained the following opinion: The
only reason why Germany defied
preme command was convinced that a
German peace could be imposed not
later than October by the submarines.
Owing to reasons which We do not dis
cuss in public, they have now been
compelled to abandon that hope. Our
information shows that, in conse-
quence, there is the greatest perturba-
tion in the high German circles where
the truth is known. Even the fire.
eating militarists are responsive, for
the first time, to the clamor of the
banking and business maenates. Count
he Is beginning to understand some
thing when he demanded raw mate
rials for German industries as a condi-
ton OF peace Germany, realizing
that she is now fighting for a draw
and not for victory. does not want 20
only to meet an American army in the
spring. Consequently every possible
political means will be made use of TO
obtain peace before winter.
while the German people are
fooled in the fond belief that the
submarine is winning the war. the
rulers of Germany are watching
their one hope of getting a draw
and preserving the Hohenzollern au-
tocracy lies in making peace be-
fore the American armies can make
themselves felt; they hope to pre-
vent the United States from rousing
herself to war as England did.
Everything that can possibly be
done to achieve this latter end will
be done. and unless you better your
performances it will take you more
than a year to set up machinery
capable of dealing with espionage
and German propaganda in your
country. We have learned how
much depends on the newspapers in
our work of keeping opinion sane
and dissipating enemy intrigue;
hope that the newspapers in your
country will do all they can 10
counteract the German propaganda
during the months that must elapse
before the authorities will have 4
stopped. 1t may interest your
countrymen to know that there ex-
lists in the Wilhelmstrasse an cf-
fetal called, Director of Propaganda
in the Enemy Press" This gentle
man and his hundreds of subordi-
mates are now exerting their prin-
cipal efforts in Russia and in the
United States. Their work is as
deadly to our common cause as the
shells fired by German batteries on
the battlefield"