The Washington herald., 1918-10-24
DENIES MINCING
HUN CRUELTIES
Creel Tells Poindexter His
Charges In Senate Are
Unwarranted.

Asserting that the whole attitude OF
the Committee on Public Information
upon the subject of German atrocities
and acts OF cruelty had been rnisrep-
resented by Senator Poindexter
George Creel. chairman of the COM
nittee, categorically denied several
statements made by the Washington
senator in his recent speech in the
Senate.
Chairman Creel emphasizes that the
policy Of the committee has not only
been approved by the responsible mil
itary authorities. but urged by them.
He reviews the position Of the COM
nittee in an open letter addressed TO
Senator Poindexter and made public
last night
In the first place, the charge re-
Peated by the senator. that General
March had been called upon TO re-
pudiate news items emanating from
the committee. is characterized by
Mr.. Creel as being wholly without
foundation. Never at any time did
General March make such a state
ment," writes Mr.. Creel.
Referring to the charge that the
committee had issued denial in the
name Of General March of the cruel
fxion Of Sergt. A. B. Cole. of East
the name Of General March was never
at any time or in any way connected
with this incident
No Denial of CrucInxIon.
The committee itself never denied
the fact of the reported crucifixion.
1t merely sought to correct the i'm
preston that Sergeant Cole was a
member Of the American Expedition
ary Forces. stating explicitly that as
the crucifixion took place in July.
1915, IT was obvious that Sergeant
Cole was serving with the Canadians.
Mr.. Creel adds that there has
been no persistent and continued
enort" by the committee to create
the impression that the Germans
have abandoned the practice of
cruelty to prisoners and civilians
in the occupied territory. He ex-
plains that only two releases out
Of thousands issued by the COM
mittee have had any bearing on
this subject.
The first article. he explains. was
a signed cable by Gen. Pershing
asking that exaggerated charges
reported to have been made by a
sergeant sent back to the United
States to work for the liberty loan
be cOntradicted and requesting that
II the sergeant in fact uttered the
statements credited to him. that he
be returned to France for duty
there.
Refuted German Lies.
On October Is. the committee re-
leased a statement headed The
Daily German Lie" 1t was this
statement that served as base
for Senator Poindexter's speech, de-
clared Mr.. CreeL
You omitted to mention" writes
Mr.. CreeI. that the opening para
graphs were concerned entirely with
official refutatiOns OF the German lies
to the effect that American soldiers
had killed $50 German prisoners as
a measure of retaliation.
1t is true, however. that TIE state
ment did comment specifically upon
certain German atrocity stories ut
terly disprOved by official investiga-
ton. But these corrections were ac-
COmpanied by the following paragraph
that YOU did not see Mt to quote:
This is not inspired by a desire
10 suppress criticism OF Hun cruelty.
That he has been guilty of atrocities
has been clearly proven The re-
quest is designed to prevent Vita
ton of the unimpeachable case
which has been established against
him by the British Bryce report and
the findings Of other official agen-
cies which have investigated in
stances of this cruelty"