The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-11-21
CREEL BRANDS !
DISPATCH As
AIDING TEUTONS
Says Editorial Printed in st. Paul
Was Absolutely False.
FILMS SOURCE DENIED
Newspaper, United States Official
Says, Gives Public Impression
That Government Lies to
, Them.

George Creel, chairman of the COM
mtttee on public information, Of which
the secretaries Of war, navy and state
are members, brands the st. Paul Dis.
patch as printing an editorial that
was absolutely false" He Saws that
the editorial tends to help the German
cause by leading the American people
to think that their government IS ~.
ing to them. His letter follows:
The Dispatch,
st. Paul, Mimi.
Sirs: My attention has just been
called to an editorial in the St. Paul
Dispatch, issue of Aug. q, in which
these paragraphs appear:
us 1t necessary to deceive the
American people in respect to our war
preparations? Is it advisable to mis-.
lead them ever In the smallest par
ticular? This suggests the inquiry
whether there has been a studied and
organized effort at misleading them
and how far the committee Of public
information, of which George Creel 10
chairman and guiding spirit, is pom.
sible for a system which M ut Oper.
ate In Prussia, but is repuguant to
every American idea.
1.-TWO weeks ago there we're ex.
hibited in St. Paul some moving pic
lures designed to impress the people
with the progress of aircraft produce
ton. Among them was a scene at q
Dayton factory who're. with res.
sive ceremonies, the author ties we're
shipping a boxed airplane marked with
gigantic letters: One thousandth ma
chine shipped from this factory to
France
These pictures were a product Of
the Creel committee. This particular
picture had the effect, undoubtedly
designed, Of creating the belief that
the Dayton factory alone, at a date
two months back. had shipped its
1,000th airplane to France, Every
spectator got the idea that the total
shipments far exceeded th1t figure,
Now General Pershing tells us with
authority that there are 273 American
machines in France"
Every word In this editorial was alb.
~solutely and unqualiiedly fa'se. The
pictures were made by the Dayton
Wright Airplane Co. and were exhibit
ed by this company In st. Paul for the
benefit of the air service mechanic
school. The committee on public in.
formation had nothing whatsoever to
do with the preparation of the Pic
lures or their showing. Had the Dis
patch been actuated by a desire for
the truth, rather than governed by
p%rejudices, a simple inquiry would
have ascertained these facts.
Nor did the Dayton-Wright Co. lie
in the picture. AS stated and photo
graphed, 1000 airplanes had been
shipped to France and It was the ship.
ping of the 1,00Oth that o%ccasioned the
celebration at which the pictures were
made. To anyone Of intelligence and
fairness it would be obvious that some
time must elapse between shipment
from Dayton and arrival on the firing
line in France.
The incident would not be worthy
of notice but for the fact that your
editorial urged the people to believe
that the government is lying to them.
This sort Of thing is expected from
the Germans, but it is surprising, n.
deed, to find such enemy propaganda
in q supposedly American paper.
Very truly,
GEORGE CREEL,
Chairman.