The sun., 1918-12-07
HALE DENIES HAVING
BEEN IN TEUTON PAY
Resents Bielaski's Disclosures
at Washington, Pointing
to Discrepancies.
PROFESSORS INDIGNANT
SHEPPARD and Trent of Column
bia Loyal to Country;
Mcclellan in Army.

DR.. William Bayard Hale made q
weeping denial late last night Of all
the charges made by A. Bruce Bic
laski, head of the investigation bureau
Of the Federal Department Of Justice,
at the Senate inquiry in washington.
He insisted he had never been n conf
Dental agent of the German Govern.
ment. although II was we'll known. he
added, that he had acted as adviser for
the German Information Service, a
press organization conducted openly
and above board In Madison Square,
Dr.. Hale characterized as a weird"
yarn the story that he had been sent
ny the German Government as a spe-
cal emissary 10 Rumania to induce
that country to stay u OF the war.
The basis for this story, according to
Mr.. Bielaski's testimony, raj a state
ment made by a prisoner In the At
lanta penitentiary named Wunnen-
berg, who was convicted with others
Of sending spies to England. His tale.
according to DR.. Hale, is not only
totally false but especially ridiculous"
DR.. Hale insists hat he never talked
20 Count Won BernstorfT. for more than
two minutes at a time. and certainly
never attended n conferences with
German agents in this country. He
resented. however, the statement made
5v Mr.. Bielaski that Mrs. Hale was a
German.
1T ia inconceivable." he said. that
Mr.. Bielaski should have testified that
ny wife was German, Mr.. Bielaski
las sat at our table, eating our bread.
drinking our wine and playing with
our children. and knows fun we'll that
we are all native Americans. OF
Course he was misquoted."
Hale Cites Discrepancies.
Several discrepancies in the COM
munications purporting to have been
sent by Ton Bernstorn to Berlin were
emphasized by DIR. Hale.
IT note" he said, that the alleged
despatch Of Won Bernstorf which
reads. I suggest that the time is ia
vorable for Mr.. Hearst to send a first
class journalist to Berlin is dated
June .. 1916. The alleged despatch
mentioned my lame, but l was not
then in America.
Another alleged despatch from Won
Bernstorff reads: Hale tells me- and
20 forth. This despatch was dated
June 5, 1915. On that date l happened
10 be in Scotland and l could not very
veil have told Won Bernstorff any
thing.
1T is false that I had any contract
With Count Won Bernstorff. or with
anybody connected with the German
Government till Tune 23, 1918 or with
anybody on Gods earth. German. Turk
ar Hottentot, except with the paper
which employed me. -
1T is false that I ever sat in council
With Count Won Bernstorff. I never
saw him except two minutes Il day
IN the spring Of 1916. when on my way
20 the steamship I called at the Ritz
Carlton and got a perfunctory letter
rom him, half printed and half writ
len, such a letter as he gave to all
correspondents going abroad. I never
tttended a conference at the Hutz-Carl-
on. / never exchanged a word by
post, messenger or telephone with this
celebrated gentleman.
I'm the early summer OF 1916 I was
solicited by the editor OF the New York
Americdu to go to Central Europe as
is chief European correspondent, |
judged, because OF my acquaintance in
Germany and Austria.
I consented to go. While in Central
europe. that is up to April. 1917, I dis
.arged the ordinary duties OF a for
.gn correspondent to the best Of my
poor ability"
"RidicuIous." says Mcclellan.
Col. George B. Mcclellan, former
.layor of New York city and n time
Professor at Princeton University, ex-
pressed amazement last night that his
Lame should nave been included in the
LIST Of the mos important men in the
United States" from the German view
Joint. Col. Mcclellan. who is now at
tached TO the Ordnance Department,
returned Wednesday from a military
mission to France.
The idea that I might in n way
Lave been connected with these activi-
lies or that my name should have
heen on the list sent by DR.. Fuehr to
ne German Government is p~reposter-
GUS" said Col. Mcclellan. even IL I
Tere In a position to discuss the mat
'er-and as an army officer / am not.
1T course-I should consider 1t too abb
.urd to warrant an answer"
Prof. William r. Shephard~of CO.
'lmbia University also figured in the
,!st, which, according to Mr.. Bielaski.
'ontained the names of men who were
listed as OF pro-German inclinations.
IF my name was sent In this list
70 Germany by DR.. Fuehr," said Prof.
SHEPPARD, ut was done absolutely
without my authorization. My atti-
'ude before the United States entered
ne war was not pro-German, but
rather pro-American and strictly neu-
trail, in accordance with President
Wilson'S own announcements. When
this country entered the war. how
ever, there was only one thing for a
patriotic citizen 70 do and that was to
support the u6lted States most 10y
ally.
Incurred SNaehr's DispIeasure.
y did not know DR.. Fuehr well. /
met him a few times, but II he thought
mat I was pro-German he assumed
.'uch more than the facts warranted.
IN n occasion / took decided excep-
non to some Of the historical state
ments made by him in his book and he
heemed to take exception to my criti-
cisIns. for after that l seemed TO be
PERSONA o grata with him. ! held
that the invasion OF Belgium wa un-
~:qsuhable on any score whatsoever.