The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-14

S~uAior WalcOtt. your auuG1On,
then to the Hearst publications in
man connections. was OF no signifi-
canes. You have no knowledge OF II
and do not know anything about it?''
Captain Lester: II have no knowl-
edge. ana there In nothing in our rec
ords to indicate a knowledge on the
part OF Mr.. Hearst that Mr.. Fox was
paid by the German government.
Senator King asked the witness il
other newspapers OF the United States
did NOT have correspondents or sent
them to Germany at a time when the
United States was at war with Ger
many.
oh. yes" replied Captain Lester.
There was a larger number: there
were at least fifty prominent news
papers represented in Germany j..
No Impropricty.
Senator King: $50 that there is
nothing improper in newspapers hav-
ing reporters or representatives in
hellige-ent na,ions?"
Captain Lester: NO, sir"
One OF the articles written by Fox
and published in the New York Amer
lean April IS. 1915, was entitled
Hands and Feet OF Boys Cut on by
Cossacks. Says Edward Lyell Fox"
The witness testified that Fox ad-
mitted to him that. in his opinion, the
atrocities he described in this article
had never happened, but that he was
told by the German government to
write an article counteracting the
effect of German atrocities in Bel
GUM.
Senator Sterling asked If there we're
any editorial comments in the Hearst
papers upon this article. The witness
said there were not, and added
You will note in this article that
the publisher of the New York Amer
lean takes pains to state in large let
ters in the headlines, Says Edward
Dyell Fox" He published it with that
reservation.
In answer to Senator King. Captain
Lester said that there is no evidence
that the recipient of that article had
any knowledge or reason to believe
that 1t was paid for by Germany. On
its face. the witness said, It seemed
to be an authentic and truthful report
by newspaper reporter
second article by Fox, published
in the New York American of April
%. 1915. entitled. Professor Stein,
Greatest Peace Apostle. Warns U. s.
Of japanese Periis," was introduced
in evidence. Captain Lester said that
this article, As we'll as two others on
general war topics, written by Fox.
were prepared at the suggestion of
Gustav Schweppendick, head of the
Hearst service in Berlin.
The Albert "Group.-
Concerning the Or. Albert group.
the witness said they originally met
in Berlin on July IA. 1914. They ar
rived in this country In August of that
year. The party contained many pro-
lessons and trained writer's referred to
by members OF the committee as the
German intellectuals."
To escape detection upon their ar
rival here, some shipped as steerage
class and still others came in the
second and thirdclass cabina The
government has a complete list Of
their names and identity, but they
were not disclosed at the hearing.
They were divided into three divisions.
One was to operate In commercial
circles and reported to the offices of
the Hamburg and North
German Lloyd companies. The second
reporting through agents to the en-
bassy at Washington, and the third
was described as the China Japa-
nese-South American Mexican" group.
| The aim of the latter was to foment
trouble between the United States and
| Japan and also Mexico. They import
ed enormous quantities of German
| books and current German publica-
| tons and issued printed proof-sheet.
of their propaganda material for use
by any American newspaper they
| could induce to publish it No evi.
| dence was furnished to the extent o,
actual publication OF their matter.
Originally, their material was pre-.
pared by Matthew NJ. Clausen, of the
Hamburg American company, said
Captain Lester, but later William
Bayard Hale took charge. The wit.
ness, In answer to questions OF both
Senators Walcott and King, said there
was no evidence that Hale operated
for the German government after hs
became q correspondent for The
| Hearst papers. Nor was there any
evidence that he received any mone3
from German agents during the pc.
riod of his employment by Mr.. Hearst
AT one point in his testimony. Cap.
tain Lester characterized Hale,
writings as pro-German. anti British
| and anti-American.
/