The sun., 1917-09-14
Won Eckhadt Letter to
Chancellor Bares New
Intrigue.
NO DISGUISE USED
Cronholm, Openly PrO-Ger-
man, Won TeutOn Praise
by His Work.
MEXICO NOT INVOLVED
Akerhielm Unable to Explain
Argentina Bids Lux
y burg Go.
Special Despatch to THE Sun

Special Despatch to THE Sun
WAsHfNaroN, Sept. 13-Further dis
closures by Secretary Lansing to-day
have clinched the proof of the Swedish
Governments sham neutrality and incl
dentally drawn Mexico into the meshes
Of German-swedish intrigue.
A letter dated March 8. 1915. from
Herr Won Eckhardt. German Minister 70
Mexico, addressed to the Imperial Chan
cellor in Berlin, was made public to-day
by the State Department. 1t shows that
the Swedish Legation in Mexico was
playing the role Of spy for the Wilhelm
strasse. The Government and people Of
Mexico are involved only because the
spying took place on Mexican soil. 1t
was presumably without tho knowledge
or consent Of the Mexican authorities.
Senior Bonillas. the Mexican Ambassa-
dor here. when seen by a, Sun corre-
spondent this evening intimated that the
Mexican Government might at once be-
gin an investigation of these unneutral
activities Of the legation Of Sweden
First Chief Carranza IL as anxious as
President Irogoyen OF Argentina to dis
countenance or punish any form OF
German-Swedish diplomatic deception
which might remotely Affect the honor OF
Mexico as neutral.
The Won Eckhardt letter disclosed
that Folke Cronholm, the Swedish
Charge d'Affaires In Mexico city, vir-
tually was acting as spy for Germany.
! and suggests that Germany reward him
by bestowing upon him the crown order
Of the second class. He 10 the only
diplomat through whom Information
from q hostile camp can be obtained.
, Won Eckhardt wrote. while at the same
time stating that he acts as inter-
mediary for official German diplomatic
intercourse and has not disguised his
sympathy for Germany. and has in fact
entered into close relations with the Ger
man Legation. Incidentally the letter
explains that the Swedish Charge fire.
Quently was obliged to 20 to the tele-
graph office late at night and hand in
his kilograms.
sweden Deeply Compromised.
Diplomats here say that no informa-
tion which Secretary Lansing might dis
close could be more compromising for
the Swedish Foreign Office than the first
paragraphs Of Won Eckhardts letter.
II shows that Sweden not only acted as
intermediary for German war messages.
but actually assisted in spying out data
from the hostile camp" to go into these
messages. If any links were missing in
the chain of evidence against the Swedsl
Government before. they are contained
in the letter made public tonight for the
collusion between Germany and Sweden
and the working arrangement between
the Swedish diplomatic service and the
Stockholm Foreign Office are all eX-
posed.
The disclosure came as another dip
lomatic bombshell here, particularly to
the Swedish Legation. Baron Aker-
helm, the Swedish Charge, callee
on Secretary Lansing this morning to
inform him of the official excuses which
the Swedish Government wished to make
for having been placed in a false light
by the original disclosures. The Gov
ernment at Stockholm had no knowledge
Of the contents Of the Count Luxburx
kilograms from Argentina. 1t was eN-
planned. and wished to give Informal as
surances OF its absolute neutrality.
1t Is said that Baron Akerhelm in
tended to advise Mr.. Lansing that Swe-
den would demand a prompt apology
from Germany for the fact that Count
Luxbury imposed on the Swedish ..e-
CATION in Buenos Ayres by sendine
cipher messages advising u-boats 10
sink ships without leaving any trace.
Akerhielm Keeps silent.
| Just prior to his visit 10 tho State De-
partment. Baron Akerhielm let Il be-
come known to newspaper men that hs
would have some material to make pub
lie later In the afternoon. He had re-
| ceived advices. IT seemed. which he said
would explain away the mistaken i'm
preston about the Swedish Governments
activities. But after Baron Akerhie!m
I had seen Secretary Lansing and pre-
sumably seen the Won Eckhardt letter
he virtually threw up the game
/ Tonight. in response to query. he
said that Cronholm was dismissed from
the diplomatic service last January. He
would not discuss the cause, but there
| was no intimatdn that it was in any
way connected with Cronholm's relations
with the Germans.
I Meanwhile w. A. F.. Ekengren, the
Swedish Minister, is remaining away
from Washington. fact which has
aroused considerable comment.
| The disclosure Of the Won Eckhardt
letter came at the end OF IA day repiete
with diplomatic developments bearing
on the German-Swedish intrgues, Do
micio da Cana. the Brazilian Amha ssa-
dor. and Romulo S. Naon, the Argentine
Ambassador, were early callers at thu
state Department. The situation be-
tween Germany and Argentina came in
for more and more diplomatic notice
following confirmation of reports that
Argentina had handed Count Luxburg
his passports or rather sent them to the
German Legation without waiting for
his side to be heard.
Prediction Is made that German inn
perlal dignity will be grossly offended,
as In diplomacy this is very drastic
course. The assumption here was thar
thn tt,a. Il
give Count LuNburg an opportunity 20
; he heard, But apparently the present
temper of the Argentine Foreign Office
is TO regard any defence which Ger
many might make as immaterial. Ia
other words the Imperial German eN-