The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-01-05
STRONG CRITICISM OF
BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE.
Mr.. James Douglas Denounces Policy
OF Secrecy and Calls for Efficiency
British Tea Famine ExpIained-So-
phistries and Subterfuges Denounced

PhistrieS ana Subterfuges Denounced
The Sunday Pictorial Q4ondon, Eng
contains scathing criticism of the
manner foreign affairs are handled in
the Old Country. Mr.. James Douglas,
who contributes the article, writes as
follows:
In war no mercy should be shown to
any form of infficiency, for inefticiency
means the death of brave men and the
postponement of victory.
The entrance of the United States
into the war compels us to redouble
our vigilance, for the new partner is
bound to subject our methods to keen,
though friendly, scrutiny. Be sure
that the Americans will take nothing
for granted. Let us invite, nay, let us
compel, their criticism.
The Americans have much to learn
from us: we also have much to learn
from them. Let no censorship of fair
and free criticism be tolerated
| The American mind is direct 1t
loves publicity. 1t hates Mumbo jun
! DO mystery. 1t has abolished the Old
Diplomacy. | have no doubt that MIR.
Gerard's revelations have scandalized
some OF our professional diplomatists
who imagine that the old methods will
be resumed after the war. Mr.. Ger
ard burned all his boats. Have all
our diplomatists burned their boats?
Have they no tales to tell? ] wonder
n
Office is concealment. The dominant
idea between our yelled methods and
its open methods is startling Since
the United States came into the war
Washington has torn the mask off
;ermany by publishing the truth about
';ermany's treachery, duplicity. Grim
inal intrigues, murderous brides and
ferocious subsidies. 1t has not spared
the German Emperor or any of his
agents. 1t has struck blow after blow
It's disclosures have branded Germany
before the world as a felon among
the nations. Her pertidy is proved
Her ambassadors are pilloried. The
whole world has been shocked and
alarmed. The discontinue of Ger
many is complete. Publicity has done
it.
The question forced upon us is this:
Has our Foreign Office no disclosures
to make? Has it empted it's secret
archives? Has it held back nothing?
If so, we are driven to the concu-
sion that Washington is more efficient,
as well as more candid, and tnat the
American Secret Service is more COM
petent than ours. Such a conclusion
is too humiliating to be entertained
Our Foreign Office must be choked
with evidence of German treachery
and German crime. It's pigeonholds
must be packed with high explosives.
What, then is the explanation of it's
obstinate refusal to divulge it's Sc
| crets? There can be only one. Our
Foreign Office is still welded to the
| dead etiquette of the dead world of
diplomacy. 1t is Still shackled by the
code OF secrecy for the sake of sacrecy,
of mystery for the sake of mystery. 1t
is still clinging to the musty formulas
of secret diplomacy 1t is still hug
| ging the delusion that it is not safe to
tell the people the whole truth. 1t
is still struggling to preserve the nine
teenth century doctrine that foreign af-
fairs are the province of an exclusive
caste, a peculiar priesthood, chosen
cult. This will not do The Americans
have smashed secret diplomacy. 1t has
gone forever Let our Foreign Office
adopt the new American policy of tell
ing the truth to the people who are
fighting and dying. Let us know
where we are. We are not afraid of
| the truth about German methods, Ger
man plots, German agents and German
bribes Let us have it without any
respect Of persons.
The same argument applies to our
blockade. Let there be an end of all
mystery and all concealment. In the
past our Foreign Office has practiced
an economy of candour with regard
to it's conduct of the blockade. 1t has
been almost impossible to obtain any
definite information. All that we
know is that our blockade has not
been effective. 1t appears that our
Foreign Office has supplied to Wash,
ington memorandum which discloses
facts that have been withheld from
the British people.
Washington has promptly published
these undisclosed facts. They show
that in the course of one year Ger
many received from neutral countries