The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-08
RAN
RIOT FOR AWHILE
But Bernstrff' Found That the
Subsidy Always Leaked
Out.
NO RETICEN HERE
Much Testimony Taken in the
Hearing Before Senate
Committee on Rielaski
Expose.
70 RETICENCE HERE

Washington. Dec More names
net work of German propaganda in
this country before America entered
the war were given to the sub-con-
mittee of the senate Judiciary coma
mittee by Chief Bielaski of the de-
partment of Justice secret service to-
day. Letters and decoded dispatches
from former AN bassador Bernstorff
and other German officials in this
country were introduced into the EVIL
dence. Most of the testimony re-
ferred to the plans entered into for
the control Of publicity In this coun-
try favorable to the German cause
and payments to writers and news
paper interests in furtherance OF this
plan. The most striking feature of
the days testimony, however. was the
showing that a plan had been consid-
cred to buy out the Wright aearo
plane factory at Dayton. Ohio. with
the object of controlling all the
Wright patents thereby preventing
the. United States from building any
airplanes in this country. This plan
was revealed in a letter to Won Berns-.
tori sent by F. Reisweitz who was
German consul in Chicago.
In the same letter was disclosed the
fact that the German interests pro-
NOTED the American embargo con-
ference for the purpose of stirring up
feeling Ia shis eounsrct against THE
shipment of munitions to the allies.
Mass meetings under the auspices of
the conference were arranged by the
German agents The Reisweitz cor
respondent named Senator Hitchcock
Of Nebraska, William Bayard Hale,
nr. Charles r. Akeed and Roger Sui
Ivan CT Chicago as among those who
had agreed to co operate"
Reisweitz mentioned Sullivan as
having been a leader in the Wilson
campaign who was deadly enemy
of Wilson as the latter did not keep
his promise 10 make him senator"
The Reisweitz letter was sent from
Chicago July -, 1915. and referred
TO a mass meeting which was TO have
been held in that city two weeks later,
At this meeting ii was proposed to
make protest against the activity OF
American army officers II assisting in
The production OF munitions for the
allies Reisweitz wrote that the lead
ership OF the movements was in the
hands OF TWO gentlemen, one in De-
troit and one in Chicago whose
names were not given.
To Purchase Wright Factory.
Regarding the proposed purchase
of the Wright factory Reisweitz wrote
that the plan would be presented to
the ambassador by Won Alvensleben.
who WAS 70 make a personal call. 1t
was suggested that the patents could
be acquired for $4,000
Among other organizations which
the correspondence names as friendly
en- HA I'M tai the
American Truth Society. the German
University league and the American
Press ussocia ion. In one of Berns-
torff's cable messages complaint was
made that he was made TO shoulder
the blame for a number of the mis-
takes OF DIR. Dernhurg: the asnbassa-
dor also expressed satisfaction Tint
the arrangement with the magazine;
Fair Play" OF which Marcus Braun
was editor had been terminated. He
spoke of the unfortunate experience
with the Times-Man. (evideutlU
meaning the New York Evening
MaiD, and said ne hoped for better
results from the National Courier UNI
der the management Of Huntington
Wright and Theodore r. Lowe
Bernstorf in this dispatch stated
that the fact Of an American news
paper being subsidized can never be
kept a secret because there Is no
reticence in this country" He said
he would be glad to be free from the
Fatherland, George Sylvester Vie
reck's paper, which had shown itself
ito be of little value"
ut is particularly difYicu't in
hostile country" complained Won
Rernstorn In this dispatch TO find
suitable persons for help Of this sort
and to this, as well as the Lusitania
case I'VE may attribute the shipwreck
OF German propaganda initiated by
Herr Dernburg.
In memorandum taken from
Hernstort's ONCE it is stated that the
American Press association would
place its entire organization at the
disposal OF Or. Albert. This associa-
ton distributes boiler plate" matter
to newspapers throughout the coun-
try. The option for the control OF the
association was to he given for
1900. 900 but nothing in the papers