New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-02
Photo by Paul Thompson.
ALFRED ZIMMERMAN
Official Burden-Bearer for Berlin Foreign Office Looks
Like Missouri Farmer but Record Shows Him
Skillful in StateCraft

the fOlN-pOtN llll-e uduBH -eI OF 0idlIh
Trauberg, who chartered TO him IN
Italian.
Excellency Zimmerman had posi-
tive appetite for grinding. and seemed
to have been carrying infinite details
on his shoulders for years. "The pack
mule of the Foreign Office" he was
called, and for just that German dip
lomats with posts afeld liked to talk
over their jobs with him when they
came home.
He was said not to be afraid of
hurting things out. His own rise from
fairly humble origin, after studying st
the universities of Jena and Breslau, TO
the Chinese consular service and thence
into the diplomatic branch of the For
eign Office. rather set him apart from
the other men. the Nons and the Ius.
The South Germans didn't mind his
East Prussian origin, the Sozial-Demo-
l.rats were supposed 10 like him be-
cause he arranged interviews for them
with the Chancellor. and the Conserva-
tives were supposed to come away ap-
peased after he had listened great
deal and then said, 1--WE understand
each other
An Enormous Listener
He was an enormous listener. No
one who waited long enough ever
missed seeing him. He was always
cordial TO Americans VINO hoated
through and wanted 10 advise him.
He listened and then asked whoever
was around next what the last mans
word was worth.
This Judge Lindsey who is he?"
This lady, this Nine. Bossevain, who
came through my door yesterday, tell
me about her."
And he used 20 be so bubblinC and
smiley when he recalled his advisors
that gave him credit for sense OF
humor worth its weight in gold, and
certainly gave him credit for knowing
that somewhere at home we had some
thing besides millers OF advice.
One afternoon we talked at length
Of the American attitude toward the
Commanding Of Poland and the Danish
provinces. ] had been speaking OF the
enormous boom in foreign language
newspapers In the United States and
the various generous premium schemes
employed 10 increase their circulation.
We talked of America as, after all,
the greatest empire. We had the land
and sucked other nations in. We, too,
discard their culture and tradition, and
consciously or unconsciously force new
allegiances and ideals upon them, sure
always that ours are better than theirs.
What we have missed, was seeing the
analogy between the German desire
for homogeneity and ours, which we,
however. accomplish without arms.
There was that same afternoon some
talk OF arranging a series Of articles
by representative American journalists
10 appear in the leading liberal news
paper OF Berlin America Interpreted
by Americans.
He seemed genuinely anxious that
there should be real understanding be-
tween the two countries. He never lost
an opportunity 20 speak well Of tho
American nation, and it was under
stood that his ambitions were for the
embassy at Washington. Won Jagow
had refused TO spare him when his
chance at Toxic had come.
IL was that same evening that he
comforted me so after ! had been chat
tering aimlessly. | had caught myself
I'D with. ooh, dear, I'm so incoherent."
and he had thrown back his head and
chuckled. Then he bent forward wear
ily: "My dear young lady, in this room
! have finished logic all day long. You
are not TO apologize
secret place in his mind he had his
own doubts about logic and blue paper
plans for Russo-Japanese- Mexican-Ger-
man alliances as set off against the
AnClo-American-Ger alliance that
he himself and the Chancellor, backed
bv liberal Germany, were 10 found.
Once. know, / asked foolish
question about poor Franz Won Rim
tclcn." the charming child of intrigue
who was sent to America IN the spring
Of 1915 for the double purpose OF
stirring NJ strikes in the United
States and Of embroiling this coun-
try i'm war with Mexico. Herr Iim-
yoermann murmured. "A bad choice
But / thought IT was all Joke;
that no one so hearty and likable
could have had hand in anything so
bad or. at least. so badly done.
The name signed TO the present note
tells another story.