The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-02
BECKER TELLS HOW
HE FIGHTS BOOBIES
Expects to Win on Record of
Exposing Bolo Pasha and
Dangerous Aliens.
DISCOVERED SECRET CODE
Gave Federal Agents Valuable
Aid Through Powers Found
in State Law.

Deputy Acknowledgement Alfred L.
Becker, who is the candidate for Attor-
Iney-General on the State ticket OF At
torney-General Merton E. Lewis, issued
a statement yesterday in which he said
that he believes he will win In the prl-
maries. The statement, which reviews
the work OF the Attorney Generals Office
and his own work in the roundup OF
spies and other enemy aliens, said In
part.
THE New York State peace and safety
act has proved to be an instrument Of
! great value to the country in the detec-
ton OF German conspiracies and the rev.
citation OF German propaganda schemes.
This act. passed by the Legislature in
1917, authorizes the Acknowledgement to
compel the attendance OF witnesses In
cases relating to the war and compel
them to testify. This II a power which
Congress has failed to give to the Fed
eral departments charged with war in
designations. such rs the, Department of
Justice and the Military and Naval In
| teiiigence departments. They have freely
aVaded themselves Of the powers vested
In the State Acknowledgement to assist
them in their investigations.
The Attorney-GeneraIs Office obtained
the evidenQ on which Bolo Pasha was
convicted OF receiving 100000 francs
from Count Won Bernstorff. German Am
\ bassador In America. for the purchase
by the German Government OF the Paris
JonrndI and for other German defeatist
propaganda In France. 1t was upon this
evidence that Bolo was executed for
| treason last March.
The revelations in the case Of Bolo
Pasha resulted directly in the arrest Of
Senator Charles Humbert. editor OF the
Paris Journal. and Joseph Caillaux, for
mer Premier Of France. They are both
awaiting trial for reasonable conduct
have obtained important evidence in
both cases. which has been forwarded to
the French Government. and because of
its nature 1t must remain secret until
the trials Of Humbert and Caillaux.
Unearthed Dangerous Aliens.
I'm cooperation with the Department
OF Justice. I obtained the evidence on
which considerable number ofGermans
have been informed as dangerous enemy
aliens. One Of these was Adolf Paven-
stedt. senior member OF the German
American banking house Of C. Amsinck
d Co, since reorganzed. who was shown
to have furnished office room to the
notorious Boy-Ed and Won Papen. Pa
venstedt was the Intermediary between
Count Won Bernstorff and Bolo Pasha
Hugo Schmidt. American representa-
tive of the Deutsche Bank of Berlin,
was disclosed In these Investigations as
the paymaster Of German propaganda
and intrigue. He handled the ten mill
ion francs sent by the German Foreign
once for payment to Bolo Pasha. He
was interned after these disclosures.
Another German informed was Eugen |
Schwerdt. He masqueraded in this |
country as a Belgian citizen and a |
refugee. unmasked him as an agent |
of the Kaiser purchasing for the German |
army great supplies of wool In this |
country. using German Americans as |
dummies to camoufiage the actual own
ership.
THE Attorney-General's office then
undertook a thoroughgoing investiga-
ton of the expenditures of money in this |
country by the German Government and |
examined the accounts of all of the |
banks in which the German embassy |
and its agents deposited its funds. One |
of the first fruits of this investigation |
was the proof that the New York Eue-
ming Mail had been bought by the Ger |
man Government through DR.. Edward |
A. Rumely. the Kaiser's dummy. The |
arrest of DR.. Rumely and his attorney, |
S. Walter Kaufman. followed, and they |
have since been indicted.
THE payments Of money by the Ger |
man embassy to maintain propa ganda |
and intrigue in this couKtry became the |
next subject of investigation. This led |
to the exposure OF the activities, Of 1
George Sylvester Viereck. editor of the |
Fdtherlnnd: William Bayard Hale Louis |
N. Hammerling and numerous other
propagagandists.
secret German Code Deciphered.
"In addition deciphered for the Gov
eminent the secret code of the Deutsche |
Bank used by Count Won Bernstorff and |
other German spy masters in their cor
respondence with the Wilhelmstrasse
I discovered the true meaning of hun
dreds of fictitious names and phrases |
Thus, Charles Gledhill' meant Count Won |
Bernstorff. the German Amba ssador |
Under my direction there was compiled a |
list of 10000 subscribers for the war
loans Of the Central Powers. This list |
is valuable index to the names of the
principal German sympathizers in this |
country.
III nominated and eIected-and l am
confident that I shall bel shall con-
tinue to expose the secret methods of |
Hun propaganda so that the German |
Government may be rendered powerless
to deceive further the American people !
1--WE have seen the propagandists at
work in the past, Even since the United |
States entered the war they have played
in this country roles assigned to them
by the German Foreign Office Their
methods are subtle and sometimes hard
to detect. BY specious arguments they
have sought to break down the will of
the people of this country to win the
war by a great military effort In my
opinion many who are now waving
American flags are merely lying low
waiting for word or sign from Berlin
to resume their attempts to deceive the
American people.
81 have tried to educate the American
people so that they would instantly |
recognize and be able to stamp as Ger
man propaganda every effort to under
mine the military power Of the United
States. / know who the German propa-
gandists are, know their methods.
] became we'll acquainted with both dur
ing my years investigation OF German
intrigue"
PHOTOGRAPHER NOT SLAIN.