The sun., 1918-07-29
Germany Prepared to Spend
Millions Here in Post
Bellum Campaign.
ONE s7,5OO,OOO CONTRACT
Matrices and Plates Discovered
Louis n. Hammerling
Involved.


accumulate, lie great piles Of matrices
and plates which represent what was to
have been the most daring advertising
campaign OF all time-Germany's post
bellum effort to persuade Americans, by
the same methods which have convinced
them that Hostetter's Oats are good TO
eat and Emerson's Ever-Grow good to
rub In the hair. that Germans are good
people to deal with and German ships
good ships to sail aboard.
Upon this campaign, the authorities
have been informed. Berlin was pre-
pared TO spend million after million, and
through one New York advertising
agency alone was ready to contract for
an expenditure of $4,000 year for
five years. with Is per cent added by
way of commission.
All this was before the United States
went into the war. but not long before.
Negotiations with the advertising
agency in question-Van Patten. Inc, SO
Last Forty-second street--were begun
rot more than a month prior to the final
break between Washington and BERN.
The policy Of undersca ruthlessness had
been resumed and Germany was cnril-
dent her submarines would have
achieved desirable t'peace with honor"
e by June, 1917. so sure that in the pre-
vedinE March the date for the launch
most arbitrarily as July /.
Dug Up by Becker.
II was Alfred L. Becker, the Deputy
Attorney General. who has been inves-
tigating DIR. Edward A Rumely's finan-
cling of the Evening Mail. who dug
Up the bones of the publicity campaign
hat never was. When he made public
his information yesterday he had be-
fore him affidavits made by lie Roy
fnder Van Patten. president OF Van
l'attcn, Inc; by Harry ]. Prudden. one
Of his executives. and by the head of
another agency who had been ap-
preached.
Each Of these had sworn that the man
who had the German money to spend was
Louis n. Hammerlng, founder and chief
director OF the American Association Of
Foreign Language Newspapers and DR..
Rumely's agent in placing s205,000
worth Of advertising by which German
propagandlsts in 1915 hoped to estab-
lsh an embargo on munitions.
As the story is set forth in the affida-
Wits, Hammerling. who has an advertis-
ing agency Of his own in the Woolworth
building began dckering with the Van
Patten agency early in February, 1917.
He had been acquainted with Prudden
for years. and It was through Prudden
ne maze MS approach.
Extent Of Campaign.
According to Prudden the proposition
from the first was cloaked in mystery
Hammerlng limiting only that he might
he able to swing a large and profit
able account to the Van Patten people.
it would run to Sl.500.00O a year. he
said, and would be good for five years
with the agency percentage tackled on
Prudden was led to understand that the
campaign would not only cover the
United States, but would reach into
Canada, Mexico and Central and South
America.
1t was not until a third visit. the
story continues. that Hammerling be-
came in any degree specific. He then
announced that the war would surely
end in June as n result Of U-boat activ-
tiles and said 1t was desired the cam
ralgn should be launched within a week
fter peace was declared-that time not
to be later than July !, 1917.
Prudden In the meantime had been
in conference with Van Pstten. whose
suspicious were aroused by Hammer
Iing's reticcnce. Coached by his chief
Prudden demanded In the course of a
fourth interview with Hammerling that
he be informed In detail who was to
stand responsible for the advertising
costs and what work would have to be
done in the line of copywrting and
planning.
Told Not to Worry.
He quoted Hammerling as replying:
ut isn't necessary to worry about ar
fist and copy work. The campaign is
already prepared and is in plate FORM
We will send the advertising direct to
the publishers. telling them to bill your
agency for all charges. For your own
information l will say that all advertis-
Ing you handle will be signed by the
Hamburg-American Line. Collin Arm
strong's copy will bear the signature OF
the North German Lloyd Line"
II was not more than ten days after
the last interview with Hammerling ac-
cording to Prudden's affidavit, that the
United States declared war on Germany.
That ended everything and he says he
saw Hammerling no more.
He also quotes Hammerling as hav-
ing claimed TO be close friend of
Frank Hitchcock. and that having done
Hitchcock many political favors he
might we'll look for some in return.
The story of his boyhood which Ham
merling told under oath in Mr.. Becker's
office Saturday night was far different
than that told TO Van Patten.
According TO the more recent version
the Austrian father was very poor. He
earned less than 81 a week, had five chill
dren to support on what he made and
had been married three times, Hammer
ling said.
Taken from his home when a boy OF
., ito be raised as Christian" Ham
merling told Mr.. Becker that his peasant
foster father brought him to America.
fingered a while in the coal regions of
Pennsylvania and then moved on to
Hawaii. This was all leading UP TO an
explanation OF how Hammerlng had
happened to claim Hawaii as his birth
place.
rs worker on sugar plantations and
IN the rice fields he had come to love
Hawaii, he said. proceeding:
The Almighty was there. 1t was
beautiful climate was in love
with the fruits and tho flowers of Ha-
vail"
Irishman's Advice.
Returning to America later on and
drifting back to the coal mines Ham
rnerling told the Deputy Attorney-Gen-
eral that he had fallen in with an am
bilious young lrishman who was study
ing law, and by him had been advised
that II he wanted to get ahead In the
United States he had best not have
himself known az a Polish Jew. II was
because OF this advice, Hammerling said
that he swore when becoming n citizen
he was born in his beloved Hawaii.
When Hammerling went to Mr.. Beck
ors Office in response to a telephone in
itation he carried with him a state
ment prepared with the aid Of his law
yer on July -. This covered only hi