Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-06
MORGAN BARES GERMAN EFFORT
TO- GET SWISS INTO The WAR

AUIlC11 d1lA. x1dSCl dIVTTtkASU Wall tk@N,
tive Germans, most Of them n%aturalix-
ed as Swiss In Basel alone 1t is esti.
mated there are $4,000 native Ger
mans.
A majority of the newspapers are
printed in German, and ON OF them
are owned in Germany. These keep
up a Discreet, but persistent propa-
ganda, calculated to influence the
Swiss in the interest Of Germany:
taches in the German legation at
Berne.' The American legation has 20.
Twenty is sufficient for the ordinary
purpose Of a legation In Switzerland.
What are the duties of the $50 sur.
plus in the German legation?
In addition there are thousands Of
German agents not identified with the
bring Switzerland in on the side Of
Germany.
Switzerland became rich soil for
pro-German and anti-Amertcan seed
when the United States put into eff.
feet the embargo to prevent the ship.
.ment Of foodstuffs to neutrals
The food pinch upon her. Switzer-
land listened eagerly to what her Ger
man friends had to say.
American troops were reported on
the Alsace-Lorraine front. near the
Swiss line. This meant. said the Ger
man propagandists. that America con-,
templated an invasion of Switzerland
in IN effort. to reach Germany. The
embargo. they said, was equivalent to
an act of war.
When the Swiss were in this mood
Germany produced a treaty made in
time Of peace with Switzerland, which
it interpreted as giving to Germany
the right to use Swiss tunnels and Sec
tons Of the railroad system leading
thereto in certain emergencies. Such
an emergency, argued the Germans,
was at hand.
Germany at this time was sending
troops into Italy. The way Of the
troops was a hard one, compelled, as
they were. to go over the mountains.
The use of the Swiss tunnels would
obviate much hardship and speed up
and simplify the getting Of troops in
to Italy.
Feeling against America at this per.
iod was intense. Even some of the
criticized us and our embargo.
America Is trying to starve Is and
then she will invade u.s." one heard
at every hand, repeated, no doubt,
after the German agents. -
Never had Germany been so near
to getting what she wanted Of Swift
erland.
At this moment President. Wilson
modified the embargo; food was as
sured Switzerland, and the crisis pass
ed.
Germany did not win the use of the
Swiss tunnels, but her propagandists
have not gone home. They never d.
spair. A time will yet come, they be-
lieve.
Germany reaches the French troops
with a newspaper. It is printed in
French and is full Of pictures and sto-
ries about the war.
It hints that England is saving her
self at the expense of the French, and
that when peace is declared, she will
have most of the gains and the
French most of the losses.
Needless to say, the propaganda has
borne no fruit. AS regularly as the
J from the balloons upon the French
lines they are gathered into heaps and
burned. The French understand per-
Ffectly that save for England there
would now be no. France.
The Germans believe that the diff
ferences in blood and nationality
Briton, Latin and Slav they regard as
an impossible combination>A British
officer who had been a prisoner in
Germany three years. and whom l
met in h internment camp in Switz-
erland, told me how tests were made
In an attempt to establish this fact
among the prisoners.
They put English, Irish. Belgian.
Russian. French and Serbians all in
the same prison." he said.
"When they assigned us to our plac-
es to sleep each prisoner was sur
rounded with mel of other nationali-
ties whose language he could not
speak.
They believed that this contact
would develop the racial differences
and would be an illustration Of the
insurmountable difficulties in the way
of unity among the allies.
Fortunately all of US saw through
this scheme from the beginning.
think we should have gotten alone
very well together anyhow. but know
ing that we were under the bell-glass
we all put forth a special effort at liy-
ing in harmony.
7 learned afterwards that our Jail.
ers were psychologists from the vari-
GUS universities. They hoped to be
able to say to their kaiser that racia,
differences among the allies could no,
be overcome and to offer as proof the
quarrels among the prisoners" @
German intrigue was responsible
for the Italian defeat. Not that com,
manders or troops were bribed. Thou,
too VI 1SIi Aidl AGENTS. planted" II
Italy before the war. and passing a,
Italians, were operating in Italy and
among h troops, spreading the ides
that England and France had me
with reverses in the north, that Amer
lea was concerned only about Eng
land and France, and that Italy va,
to be left to her fate.
N~ewspapers were printed in exac
facsimile Of Rome papers, and the,
contained matter that seemed to hea,
out stories being circulated by II,
German spies. -
IF the French and British are con
cerned about US, why haven't the,
gtyep sJ3s cooperation? these spte
would 66y.""And America has not ev
len declared war on her enemy, She
sttlIFat peace with Austria She doe
not care what happens to the Ital
ians.r
The American Red Cross saved tn,
] day in Italy. -,
J Major Murphy. at the head Of tn
, American Red Cross In France. dis
patched q large number OF Red Cros
workers to the Italian front II tn
time b fighting became severe. The
arrived while the retreat was in prog
ress.s ~ 5ee
Marching under the American IA.
they rave the lie in the most sRectiy
- 49,