New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
Cables and Outgoing Mails
Are Open to Friends
of Germany
No Check on 100000
Enemy Aliens Here
Easy to Send Information of
Departing Warships and
Transports, Officers Say

Washington, June 21-The govern
ment Is relieved to think that a news
leak by which important military and
diplomatic information had been reach
ing Germany was closed when NJ. Hoff-
man. chief of the political department
of the Federal Swiss Council. departed
from Office this week, but nothing, ap-
psrently, is being done more than be-
fore to prevent the escape Of informa-
tion from this country.
Although it was attempted to impose
a very drastic censorship upon the
American press, and although this
would actually have been done but for
the sturdy resistance of Congress to
Administration pressure, the govern
ment has not thought it necessary to
censor foreign-going mails.
There is absolutely no censorship
over either domestic or foreign mails,
not even of that which goes to Mexico
and direct TO neutral countries con-
tiguous to Germany.
European Cables Uncensored
There is no American censorship of
cables TO Europe. Gables TO South
America, Hawaii and Japan are CEN
sored.
The American government leaves it
to the British TO censor mail matter
and cable messages originating in this
country for Europe. The weaknesses
Of this arrangement are two, namely:
First, that a great deal of mail from
the United States to neutral countries
in Europe does not pass through Brit
ish hands; and
Second, that a British censor obvious
ly is not competent to detect all the in
formation of value TO the enemy that
might be concealed in the phrsseology
of American messages.
With the means Of communication in
this strangely ungusrded condition, it
is highly significant that in New York
City alone there are 100000 unin-
termed enemy Germans, only a small
percentage of whom are even regis
tered. They are as free to move about,
to post letters and 10 send cables as
any American citizen.
Many at Important Places
Many Of them are employed in places
where important, vital information is
likely at any time to break. In Ger
many an English or american citizen is
as conspicuous as a crooked lamppost,
and besides every human being in the
German Empire is registered with the
police. In the United States are many
German citizens, all enemy aliens, who
cannot be distinguished from American
sitiZens.
The dangers of the present situation
are freely discussed in the Navy De-
partment and bitterly resented pri-
vately by the officers, who realize the
extent to which the laxity with cable
messages exposes naval and other ves-
sells leaving the Atlantic seaboard.
AS matters stand, there is only the
British censorship to block the send
ing of messages concerning the de-
partrre of warships, transports or
merchantmen TO spies in Sweden, Nor
way or Holland. If the messages are
sent In plain language, or in standard
codes, and do not on their face show
anything suspicious they get through.
This is true of newspaper dispatches
as anything else, though Germany has
not hesitated TO make use of renegade
newspaper workers to forward her spy
work.
Naval officers do not hc5itate TO de-
clare that any man of intelligence
could frame a message that could ap-
pear innocent TO the eye of the Brit
ish censor and yet arouse the instant
suspicion of an American Of ordinary
astuteness.
How England Bagged Spies
These officers recall the big bag Of
spies which England caught IN the
net set the day the first of Kitchener's
army departed for France. IL was i'm
portant that Germany should know
This. and the probable port at which
they would land. This was thought Of
in London, and il was also anticipated
that efforts would be made TO get the
news through by cable. To block
these efforts all cables TO neutral states
were held up twenty-four hours. They
were also checked.
The checking revealed an enormous
death rate among granGmothers OF
persons resident in the spy centres
Germany having arranged for large
number Of spies working independent
lv of each other 70 try TO get the
news through 20 various neutral cen,
tres in the hope that at least one would
succeed in getting the message
through. What became Of the senders
~ these messages will probably not
be revealed until the close OF the war
In like manner. IL is stated here.