The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-01
BOY-ED OFFERED PEACE IN 1915
MAde Proposal Throu@h Providence Journal Editor-Ams Emil
Drive Launced Same Day.

That Karl Boyd. the notorious
naval attache OF the Germany en-
oa&sy at Washington. offered a def
mite peace proposal from his govern
Fnent TO Precedent Wilson rs early as
May, 1915, lie revealed in an article In
the worlds Work magazine ftust
puohshed) by John r. Rathom,
through whom the proposal was
transmitted. Mr.. Rathom ia the edf-
tor of the Providence Journal. which
has exposed numerous German plots
IN this country during the last three
years. and his article tells In detail
ths methods he used TO rth h
work OF German agents, Mr..
h~athorn's account OF what took place
Is ms follows:
On Sunday, May ,. 1918. several
months after the Providence Journal
mad begun its series OF exposures OF
German propaga nda, which at that
tine very few people In the United
states believed to be true / received
a telephone Message nj q New York
motel where ! was staying, from the
steward of the German club at t12
Central park. south. After stating
who he was, he sale thai two gentle
men, one Of whom was Captain Karl
Boy~Ed, were YER anxious to have a
chat with me. and asked me IL 1
would see "a representative OF Captain
Boy-Ed's and accompany him to tina
clubhouse at / o'clock that morn
ing. ! replied that | would. and half
an hour later q man who was after
ward identified as DR.. Fuehr, one of
Won. -Bernstorfrs New York spies.
came to ms roons, stating that he
Nun q from ~ ~F-4x. - r. -
a a at the door.
II went with him TO the German
club and there, for the fret time, met
captain Boyd, who received me In
a large private room. He said he had
enc or two important matters to talk
with NE about, and that while he
realized the Providence Journal was
a~ntaEonistlo to him and TO the Ger
man cause, ne felt that he wanted to
state frankly what was IN his mind,
ana try TO establish better relations
with US. He said that his people
were not at all satisfied with the way
In which the German side of the
case was being presented through
American newspapers. and he wanted
to ask whether I believed from my
experience that the fault lay with the
character and method OF p~resenta-
ton Of the material itself, or whether
he majority of the large papers were
30 biased against Germany that they
would not print the matter SUBMIT
ed. ] told him that, regardless OF
tho sentiments OF American News
papers. they we're naturally and right
fuiiy ~antagontstic to any movement
that looked Hike a propaganda at
tempt to use their columns in any
way, and that in my Judgment the
material with which newspaper Offices
had been flooded by the German pub
icfty bureau was on Its face so false
and malicious that no decent news
paper could handle It. He satd he
felt that criticism OF this kind was
somewhat lust, which led him up to
what he eta ted WAS the frat of the
matters about which he wanted TO
talk with me. He then asked If 7
would undertake tho supervision OF
a German news bureau, having head
quarters in New York and with
branch Offices in Chicago, Denver. and
San Francisco, which woulr Issue
regularly to the press seTni-offcial
statements from the Overseas News
agency, and also regular trRnslations
OF news stories and articles ppear-
ing in the German newspapers
H said he would he prepared to
pay 10000 It month for the main
tenance of these bureaus, which ought
to be run by a skilled American news
paper mon having a large Inc friend
" relationship among other newspap-
er men, and he would be glad to pay
$4,000 ii month for my personal SER
vices. with a bonus of $40, geo at the
end Of six months. and would also
agree that ] was not to be known per-
s~cnallv in the matter at all. and that
| would be permitted 10 so arrange
the work OF the bureau that nobody
could suspect my c~onnectics with IT.
II told him that it was impossible
for me 70 undertake any such work
or TO suggest to him the name OF
amy man who might undertake II.
Boy-Ed's Peace Offer.
AFTER a few moments he said he
was sorry. but that he had been in
etructed to lay the proposition before
me. and had done 80. He then aid
that there was another and vastly
more important matter which he
wanted to take up with me. / know
that you have an appointment at the
White House with the president dur
ing the coming week, and in con
nection with that appointment. I
want to place g matter before you
which comes from the ambassador,
who is now upstairs In the club. He
does not feel that 1t would be wise to
sec you personally.
The following is. of course, not a
stenographic report OF the statement
he hen proceeded 10 make, but is
very close to being stenographicalIy
correct:
We want ron 10 see the president
to iay before him the suggestion that
he reconsider his attitude regarding
the embargo ON arms. We want you