New-York tribune., 1918-07-29
Contracts Worth Millions
Offered Advertising
Agencies Here
Propaganda Plans
Exposed in Inquiry
L. N. Hammerling Testi6es
to Proposal to Cover
Western Hemisphere

liNSSllSdl OIL \JeIIlAH propaganda,
which began with the unmaskng of
Bolo Pasha and has been more re-
Gently concerned with the purchase of
The Evening Mail" by German gold,
has touched a new field of Teutonic
literary endeavor the advertising
campaign Germany had planned for
after the war.
Germany intended to inaugurate this
= campaign on July /, 1917, fully con-
fdent that the boat campaign would
bring the Allies to their knees early
in June of last year.
Germany was prepared to spend sew
eral million dollars annually in the
United States, and millions more in
Canada, Mexico and South and Gen.
ira America
Two contracts. one of them to ag-
gregate S1,50O.000 annually and to run
for period of five years. were offered
to two advertising firms in this city,
according to testimony taken before
Assistant Attorney General Alfred l..
Becker.
Advertising All Prepared
According to the testimony, so cer-
tam were the Germans of winning ,ne
war by June of last year, that the ad-
vertising matter had been prepared by
German advertising men and set up in
plate and matriX form, ready to ship
to t n; newspapers throughout the Western
hemisphere the moment Germany
forced the Allies to sign her peace
terms
Two members of one of the biggest
advertising houses in the country, the
Van Patten Advertising Agency. of this
city, testified that they had been Of
tered contract to run for five years at
S1.ooo,ooo year, cash in advance if
necessary. The advertising was to be
signed by the Hamburg Anne rican
Steamship Company, which is partly
owned by the Kaiser.
Louis n. Hammerling. president of
the American Association of Foreign
Language Newspapers, who was known
to be the handler of German propa-
ofer to Harry j. Pruden, Of the Van
Patten agency.
Mr.. Pruden grew suspicious and
talked the matter over with his chief
l.. A. Van Patten. who insisted that
before entering upon any contract with
Hammerllng they be permitted to see
the copy.
Hammerling put off the presentation
or the copy for Mr.. Van Patterns in
spectlon when asked that this be done
\ ahls was the last week in March. 1917.
mltnin week or ten days the United
States had declared a state of war ex-
istlng, with Germany and Hamnerling
'aiheo no more about this advertising.
Hammerllng. who has been under in
vestigation because Of his connection
with Dr. f. A. Rumeiy, who was used
as rdnmmy' by Count Won Bernstorff
and Dr. Heinrich Albert in the pur
chase of "The Evening Mail" was ex-
amlned until a late hour Saturday
night by Mr.. Becker
HammerIing. who is native of Aus.
ira, denied vigorously that he had
t .laae any Such proposal, but when CON
1ronted with certain facts SURROUNDING
ms capitalization admitted that he had
committed perjury when he took out
ms papers, according to Mr. Becker.
IN ms sworn statements before the
Naturallzatlon Court in Pennsylvania.
"heie he worked in the mines, he
sWOre ne was native of Hawaii
hen he broke down. and his stories
OF beng born into Austria's nohilitv
with which he has regaled those he has
come IN contact with in this city, were
shown to be fiction, according to the
transcript of the testimony.
ou want me to tell the truth ."
ne asked when questioned regarding
MS statements under oath before the
Na'uralzaton Court. 81 will tell YOU
was driven out of home at the 400 of
nne. My father did not make 50 a week
IN Austrian money.
tie was married for the third time.
was one of five children. A peasant
'hristlan, took me to make me a
Chrlstlan: was Jew. He took me
to Hawai-. was nine years old then.
lived there for eighteen months.
Afraid of Prejudice
hen he sent me to his brother, who
was in Hazlcton, Penn. There I went
10 work in the mines. An Irishman
named John Shea-he is still alive
worked IN the mines. He was studying
10 be lawyer. He said to me: Ignore
Tor Austrian Polish Jews. Make YOUR
citizenship that of any country when
you take out your papers, for you will
nave to foreswear allegiance to all
kings and emperors.' SO | picked out
country | lived in Hawaii, which |
loved"
Hammerling first attracted the at
lenton of the Allied governments by
his publication of the page "ad" car
ried IN newspapers throughout the
country early in April, 1918 Most of
these ads appeared in the foreign
language press
AT the time Hammerling insisted
tnat he paid for the advertisement out
OF hrs own pocket and denied that the
money come from German sources.
IN his examination under oath Sat
nroay night Hammerling said that
rmtly paid him the money in $1,000
bills POS of them and that Rumely
brought DR.. Heinrich Albert one Of
t,ermany's spy chiefs, to his home, 38
East Sixty eighth Street. for the bills.
sfowing the expenditure or these sums.
us that the only time you were
mixed up in German propaganda ?"
ha'nmernng was asked.
Yes, and | wish | never had done
it." he said.
Rumely Suggested "Ad.'
pammerling said that early in 1918
kumeiy came TO him and said he hoped
that the United States would not enter
the war. Then Rumely asked him II
an advertisement in the foreign Ian
guage papers published in the localities
Where munitlon plants were at work
appealing to the workers there who
We're OF Ieutonic extraction not to
make munitions to kill their blood rel
atlVes would be effective Hammerlinc
thought it would. Then Rumelv sug
gested that to make 1t Of double effect
1t be addressed to the President
ahd TO congress as a means of bring
A"-~ about an embargo Oh arms-the