The Washington times., 1918-05-10
TEUTONS THREATEN
FRANCE WITH FATE.
RUSSIA SUFFERED

WITH THE FRENCH ARAnEs
May .O.-CopIes of the FranlIfurtsr
zsitunE have reached the French
front containing ? Joint interview
granted by Hindenburg and Luden-
dorff in honor Of having forced Rus
STA to sign peace
Whilst loudly exoneratlng Prus-
sian mIlitarism from all blame for
the Russian catastrophe. the two Ger
man generals in precisely the same
breath threaten France with similar
fate unless she also makes peace. Ex-
tracts from the interview, preceded
by an explanation by the journalist
who secured It, are a. foliowst
HIndenburE Interviewed.
1--WE have been able to interview
Field Marshal Hindenburg. He has
aseertsined. that thanks to the Sign
ing Of peace on the east the block
ade Of our enemies IL now broken
at Is to the excellent morale Of
the German soldier that we owe this
success. It Il necessary that We think
or that and repeat Il without eessa-
ton. I own that to my soldiers" said
Hindenburg.
ave then asked the marshal II he
thought we had acted with too much
violence in the east.
"'War is not a sweet joke he re-
piled The Russians knew It Gs we'll
as we did; We were simply obliged to
show the greatest energy. 1t was
absolutely necessary to see to II that
the ravages OF eastern Prussia should
never be allowed 10 take place again.
The frontier OF this province must be
guaranteed against any new Gggres-
sion
Russia Conquered
H'Russia Is now completely reduced
to Impotence: we have made peace
with the various portions OF the old
empire. We concluded q rapid peace,
and that was what we wanted was It
not? What was there to be gained
by waiting? Could we have permit
ted the various portions of Russia
TRANQUILITY to reunitS themselves
again.
General Ludendorn made the fol-
lowing declarations:
1--WE have every desire to live 10y
ally IN peace with Russia We hope
that order will soon re-establish itself
there. We are not the cause OF the
woes from which Russia Is now SUI
fering; Il was the interior situation
Of the country that provoked the
ruin and the crisis that Is now shak-
ing It A treaty of peace of the kind
that we signed with Ukrania and
Finland could not have been con-
cIuded with the Grand Russia An
unequivical solution was necessary.
How was II possible to bring this
about except by force when all other
means had fsIledT
Troops for west
"Peacs and the assurance of its
maintenance in the east will have for
it's effect TO disengags troops for our
western front. Our superiority,
which rested solely on our moral
force is now numerically Rppreciable.
even II our electives are hardly
larger than those OF the enemy. The
reinforcement of our western front
has been a long and infinitely done
work. The transportation of troops
requires a long time, which 10 some
thing that must not be forgotten
I'VE are not obliged to ask our
selves now where the enemy. will at
tack us We can attack instead wher-
ever and whenever we wish
THE hard epoch Of 1917. druinE
which we engaged offenslvss in the
east and in Italy at the expense Of
our western front, has now passed
forever
To Punish France
S'The French. in the meantime. are
digging their own grave. France is
pouring out in great streams the
blood of her soldiers. II the French
had treated out prisoners more hu-
namely one might be able TO respect
them and have pity for them
They have already direly eIpt-
atsd the fault which their passions
caused them 10 commit and have al
ready paid dearly their desire to con-
quer Alsace-Lorraine-a desire In
spired by their wounded vanity.
The state of slavery in which |
they md themselves now in eonnec-
ton with England will decide for all |
time 20 come the fate OF France as
a great power. Added 10 that, the |
population OF France continues to |
diminish We only hope that such a
fate will be spared US.
"'But now we have confidence in
the help of God and desire only q |