The sun., 1918-12-20
BECKER BARES
BOL0 PASHA'S
ACTIONS IN U. S.
Evidence Linking Hearst
With Raising Fund Is I'm
convincing, He Says.
FRANCE ASKED INQUIRY
objection Raised to Account
of Meeting of Bernstorff and
Democratic Leader.
FRANCE ASKED INQUIRY
special Despatch 10 TIE suS.

Specidl Despatch 10 THE suS.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.--Assistant At
,orney-General Becker OF New York
revealed to the Overman committee to-
dsv the results Of his investigation OF
tho activities Of Bolo Pasha during the
rsit to the United States OF that no
tcrious International spy. and Of the
relations existing between Bolo and
william r. Hearst during his Ameri-
can visit.
An important feature of the investi-
cation was the admission by Mr..
Becker that his attention and that of
his operatives had been devoted to
ascertainlng IL there was not some
connection between the meeting with
Mr. Hearst and the apparent ease with
which Bolo. once he had arrived in the
United States. succeeded in raising
100000 francs from Germans in the
United States in furtherance of the
plans Of the propagandists.
The opinion was advanced by Sem
tor Wolcott (Del) that there was
rothing adduced in the evidence to link
Mr. Hearst with the acquisition by
Bolo of the vast sum from the Ger
mans. Mr.. Becker agreed that the
evidence was unconvincing. Mr..
Becker said the investigation had been
!nstigated by the French Government.
which wanted to know how Bolo had
succeeded so quickly.
BoIo Here for More Funds.
The purchase by Bolo OF the Paris
Journal. which had been the avenue
Of transmission of defeatist propa-
-anda in France, had been halted, Mr..
Becker explained, by lack of funds. He
said it was to make good this deficiency
hat Bolo had come to the United
states under the guidance of Charles
T. Bertelli. Mr.. Hearst's Paris corre-
spondent. Bolo bore letters to impor-
tant Americans, including Eugene
Grace of the Bethlehem Steel Company.
with whom Senator Humbert of the
French Senate, still under arrest for
,omplicity with Bolo in the defeatists'
nisadventure. had dealings when he
vas purchasing agent for the French
Government All of this was lato in
l9l5.
Bolo arrived in New York in COM
any with Bertelli February %, 1916.
lie at once conferred with Gustav
'avenstadt, whose name later was
'rought into the discussion by Mr..
Becker as a leading propaganda, and
who represented the banking firm of G..
Amsinck & Co. Pavenstadt at once
eft for Washington to confer with Won
Bernstorff. which evidently he did. II
vas shown, for he was at the Shore
ham Hotel in Washington on Feb
ruary "a. and on February 26 Won
Bernstorff was cabling Berlin. sug-
costing that propaganda in an enemy
country leading to peace could easily
be set moving by a prominent poll
tician of that enemy country then in
the United States. On February 2s
the money was sent to Bernstorff.
Tried TO Deal With steel 60.
Mr.. Becker brought out that while
the real deal was fructifying Bolo had
carried on a pretension of dealing with
the Bethlehem Steel Company. through
Mr.. Grace, for that corporation to &C
planned that the Bethlehem officials
were not implicated in the transac-
ton, and were unaware that Bolo
vas making the suggestion otherwise
than in an effort to induce a real sale
Of the Journal
The French Government in trying to
trace relations between Senator Hum
bert and Bolo had hit upon the idea
that Mr.. Hearst might have been the
Intermediary in America, but there was
nothing adduced TO show ground for
such suspicion, the New York prosecu-
tor said.
An alteration was precipitated In
the hearing room when Mr.. Becker
read INTO the record an account of a
camping party in the Adlrondacks at
tended by Won Bernstorff and William
!. Me'ombs, former chairman OF the
democratic National Committee, at
"ai' h "A discussion had taken place be-
'NeCn tho two as to the possibility of
purchasing New York daily newspa-
perS. McCombs had asserted to the
diplomat that only two publications,
The Hearst papers and the Evening
NHii' were possible to be bought, &C.
Object TO the Testimony.
senator Reed (Mo.) objected to the
rther reading OF this part OF the tes-
hcny. Senator Reed is not a member
g. me subcommittee and made no ex-
~ nation Of his presence except that
' was fully within his rights as a
'.h0er ~ the Senate. Senator kJWol-
II and King also objected to tie fur
- presentation OF un'aihstantiated
'S"'i"ns as to the purch liability of
n'W-papers.
'Ne afternoon session was devoted
largely 70 review by Mr.. Becker of
100 pre-War activities OF the propagan-
uN' He explained in much detail
= mat the systematic effort or the part
" ~ rmany to convert neutral opinion
position favorable to the imperial
'"h''ntions reached far back beyond
'' outbreak OF war. II was active as
'',.F IS 1909, according to Mr.. Becker.
MI Becker said that Boy Ed and
IN fapen, Germany's naval and mill
''' attaches in the United States,
,''e IN reality representatives not OF
''' military or technical branches Of
.H,f c.pective services but OF the in
'.NEeire Corps.