The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-08
HALE'S ACTIVITIES
IN BERLIN TRACED
Welcomed With Open Arms
by German Officials and Sup
piled With "Interview."
APPEALED TO PRESIDENT
Correspondent Told Wilson in
Open Letter Foe Could
Not Be Beaten.

The Governments revelation Of the
paid pro-German activities of William
Bayard Hale, who after receiving-as
It is charged-s15. 900 a year for propa-
ganda work in this country in 1914
and 1915 went to Berlin as a corre-
spondent. gives new interest to some
OF the travelling doctors outgivings
from abroad before America got into
the war.
There is, for instance. the open
letter TO President Wilson" dated ION
the somme battlefield October 16, 1915"
which was published in the New York
American on December 10 Of that year.
1t began: "Mr. President. in other
days you. have sometimes been pleased
to use my eyes as your own. You
have expressed confidence in the fidel-
ity Of my observation as a reporter"
What followed was a picture OF men
dying In battle and an appeal to Presi-
dent Wilson to end the war. with this
testimony both as to Mr.. Hale's "fidel-
lty Of observation" and his power Of
prophecy:
This war is at a standstill. have
travelled 500 miles along the western
German lines OF defence. They cannot
be broken through in n hundred years.
have been on the east 'front.'.
Nothing can happen there apprccilr!.'
TO alter the decision, which mis..t as
well be rendered now a. " year, or
five or ten years hence. Without
| doubt all the Governments involved
know this. All are weary, weary,
weary OF the strife. They await, Mr..
President, the word that at this great
moment should be spoken by the head
OF the chief of neutral peoples"
Memorized Trectop Writings.
The neutral DR.. Hale said that his
sentences had been written in tree
tops overlooking the inferno OF battle"
and added the remarkable statement:
Because OF fear that the German
Government might think might fool
!shly think) that even to allow them
to go out of the land might be re-
garded as a sign Of weakness l have
committed them to memory and taken
them to The Hague. there to file them
at the cable office"
| A good deal of Hale's further corret
! spondence from Germany was devoted
to protesting against what he termed
in one Of his dispatches the humble
submission of Washington to the sea
| tyranny OF Great Britain"
Hale wrote n biography of Woodrow
Wilson, published in 1912. but thus
far has published no autobiography.
| He has been IN several annual vol
umes OF who's Who?' but all data
regarding him are omitted from the
| 1917-l9lS edition. He was born in In
diana in 1869. was educated at Boston
University. Harvard and the Episcopal
Theological Seminary at Cambridge.
was a rector of churches In Middleton
| ough, Mass, and Ardmore. Pa. but in
! 1900 turned permanently TO journal
! ism, starting as managing editor Of
! the Cosmopolitan Hd0d<ine.
He was editor OF the book supple
! IiltUI Oh the new lWtS just Ne
fore he went abroad in 1907 and inter-
viewed the Kaiser on the imperial
yacht. The interview was accepted
by the Century Md0dsine but was
withdrawn before publication for rea-
sons which have never been definitely
explained. The Kaiser had rallied
against England, that much was GER
tain. Hale himself said the article was
not published because It would not
have been fair.
Berlin Paper Accused Hale.
Die Welt am MOnta0 of Berlin as
serted that the German Government
after negotiations with Hale paid $780,
900 to suppress the interview. Hale
said this was false; he hadn't received
a cent.
Hale was employed by the Worlds
Work from 1909 to 1913 and for that
magazine wrote the Wilson biography,
In 1918 he edited the collection OF
the President speeches which was
published under the title THE New
Freedom" His association with Mr..
Wilson naturally led to the assump-
ton that he was the Presidents
agent when he went 20 Mexico In
1913, travelled about hobnobbing with
blgwigs of all Mexican factions and
made dinner speeches complimenting
everybody in sight.
Washington was as mysterious ms