New Britain herald., 1918-06-08
US. REFUSES ID
 RELEASE RINTELEN
Lansing Sends Sharp Reply to De-
 mand From Germany

the United States government re- leases Captain Lieutenant Franz Rim telen, the German naval officer, one- time banker and intimate of the Ger man crown prince, Tn exchange for Siegfried Paul London, an alleged American, whom the Germans have had in custody in Warsaw.
 That the United States has defied the German government in the mat ter refused to release Rintelen, and has warned the Berlin authorities that if reprisals were taken against Am mericans in Germany. this govern ment might take similar reciprocal action against the great numbers of German subjects in this country, was disclosed yesterday afternoon by Sec retary Lansing.
 Germany's proposal for the ex- change of London for Rintelen was made on April 20 last when the Swiss minister here presented to Secretary Lansing a note verbale from the German government. On June Secretary Lansing sent this governments defiance of the German threat of repriSal.
 Rinteen is serving a term in the Mercer County (N. J) penitentiary after conviction of conspirjng with David Lamar and others to fom ment strikes in American munition fac tories. When he finishes that sen tence he Is scheduled to serve year and a day at Atlanta under his con- viction of fraudulently obtaining a state department passport in 1915 just before sailing for Europe. After that he must serve 12 months under his recent conviction of con- spirlng to destroy food and intuition ships of the Entente Allies by placing fire bombs in their cargoes.
 For some time Germany has been trying to have Rintelen treated as a prisoner of war rather than as a l criminal. The man for whom the | German government proposed to l have Rintelen exchanged, London, was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1862, went to New York in 1882, lived there until 1902, was natura- lized by the court of common pleas in New York in 1887, and since 1903 has been living in Warsaw. His na- turalized American citizenship is doubtful on the score of long and continued residence abroad. He was arrested in Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 27, 1915, charged with being a spy. He was tried in January, 1916, escaped and was re-arrested in September, 1917. He was sentenced to death Dec. 20, 1917, and in January, 1913, this sentence was cOmmuted to ten years Imprisonment.
 The verbal note from the German governm ent in which its offer of ex- change and threat of reprisal were made read as follows:
 "On Dec. 20. 1917. the merchant and interpreter, Siegfried Paul Lon don, a citizen of the United States, was condemned to death by court martial at Warsaw for war treason as a spy. The governor general of Warsaw, exercising judicial clemency, or Jan. g. 1918. commuted this sen- l tence to ten years penal servitude. l According to facts established at the l court martial, London obtained citi- zenship In the year 1887. He Is mar l ried to an American citizen, Mary l Leonhard.
 "London was found guilty because, 1 for the period from the beginning of 1 the war until about May, 1915, he 1 served the enemy as a spy. He was 1 arrested on this account as early as August 27, 1915. He succeeded, how
 
 on Sept. 24, 1917; for this reason the chief proceedings against him tcol, place only recently.
 Up to the present time the efforts of the German government to effect an improvement in the situation o1 1 Captain Lieutenant Rintelen, who passed into the hands of the Am eri-
 can authorities by reason of acts o1 l the British government, contrary tc l international law, have been unsuc. | cessful. The attempt to bring to a 1 halt the criminal proceedings brought
 against him in America and to SC. ! cure his release has likewise beer | without result In order to lend
 greater emphasis to the protests
 which have been lodged with the | American government the German l government contemplates some ap. l propriate measures of reprisal. Ii l would however, prefer to avoid the | contingency that persons be taker
 and made to suffer because the gov
 ernment of the United States was
 apparently not sufficiently cognizan-
 of it's international obligations toward a German subject.
 Proposal for Exchange.
 ''Before making a definite deci ! sion, the German government believe.
 it should propose to the governmen
 of the United States that Captair
 Lieutenant Rintelen be set at 1ibert,
 by exchange for the American citizer
 Siegfried Paul London, who was con
 demned to death for espionage. anc
 whose sentence was later commutec
 to ten years penal servitude, and tha
 Captain Lieutenant Rintelen be per 44oI +lo tN +~
 many.
 "Should the government of tn
 United States agree to this proposa
 the German government would talk, ] steps that LondOn'S incomplete
 term of imprisonment be remittet
 and that he be set at liberty in orde
 ,,ao,1 edi ia tel1r