The Washington herald., 1917-09-23
GERMAN PLOTTERS TRAPPED BY u. S.

Company. of Allentown, he writes in
April Of last year:
Work Tested, Reported Bad.
AN English inspector is present
in the department. and he most
vigorously tests the work: but i
was assured that he seemed to be
incompetent, inasmuch as he had
been repeatedly duped. Obviously
the management of the concern at
taches Importance to creating a be-
lief that all projectiles being pro-
duced were intended for the United
States government" This, he COM
ments, is belied by the presence of
foreign government inspectors.
In these activities there was, of
course. nothing illegal. DR.. Otto is
still practicing his profession in
Allentown. He claims to be an
American citizen. though his claim
is not clear. and declares himself
thoroughly loyal to this country.
Closely related to and to some
extent under the guidance of Won
Igel was the German and Austro-
Hungarian Labor Information and
Relief Bureau, with central head
quarters at 1876 Liberty street. New
York city. and branches in Cleve-
land, Detroit. Bridgeport. Pitts
bursh. Philadelphia, and Chicago.
The head of this enterprise was
Hans Liebau. from whom it took
it's familiarly accepted name OF the
"Liebau Employment Agency" Dur
ing the trying days which followed
conspirators it was unwaveringly
,ta taI fAI
was a bona fide employment agency
and nothing else, with no object
other than to secure positions for
German, Austrian, or Hungarian
workmen seeking employment. That
was for publication only. In Won
Igers papers the truth appears,
brought out by the refusal of the
Austro-Hungarian embassy to con-
tinue its subsidies to the bureau.
That the Austro-Hungarian en-
bassy had taken official cognizancs
of the bureau previously. however
Is disclosed in the letter written by
the minister for foreign affairs
which was found in the possession
of James f. ]. Archibald by the
British authorities August 80, 1915
In this letter the ambassador stated:
1T is my impression tina. We can
disorganize and hold up for months,
ii not entirely prevent. the nlaEufac-
lure of munitions in Bethlehem and
the Middle West, which, in the opinion
of the German military atta-hc. is II
Importance and amply outwe!ghs the
&C mpa' lively small expenditure of
nancy involved; but even IL the
strikes DO not come off it S probable
that we should extort, under pressu c
of circumstances, more favorable con-
ditinns labor for our poor. down
trodden fellow countrymen. So far as
German workmen are found in the
skilled hands, means of leaving will
be provided Immediately for them.
Besides this. a private German en-
ployment office has been established
which provides employment for per-
sons who have voluntarily given up
their places. and it is already working
well. We shall also join in, and the
widest support Is assured u.s."
The following representations on be-
half of the bureaus efficiency were
made, under date of March "a, 1916,
in letter to the German ambassador,
Won Bernstorff:
Engineers and persons in the bet
ter class of positions, and who had
means of their own, were persuaded
by the propaganda of the bureau 'to
leave war-material factories"
The report comments with uncon-
cealed amusement upon the fact that
munitions concerns innocently wrote
the bureau for workmen (Which, OF
course, were not furnishe6 and con-
tinues in reviewing later conditions in
the munitions industry.
"The commercial employment bu.
reaus of the country have no supply
Of unemployed technicians. I
Many disturbances and suspensions
which war material factories have had
to suffer and which it was not always
possible to remove quickly. but which
on the contrary, often lead to lone
strikes, may be attributed to the en-.
ergetic propaganda of the employment
bureau
Documents Prove Guilt.
Won Igefs close connection with the
enterprise Is indicated by a number
Of items. For example, there IL {
notation to the effect that n, Han