The Washington herald., 1918-07-14
OF
.HINDENBURG
MAY STIR IRE
Germans Would Resent
Concealment of Death
by Government.
TALE THOUGHT UNTRUE
How Ludendorf Was Put
in Marshal's Place as
Popular Idol.
TALE THOUGHT UNTRUE

Amsterdam, July ls.-Hindenburg
dead or alive?-that is not the vital
question
Has his death-if indeed he 10 no
more-been concealed from the Ger
man people? How long? Why? What
will be the effect when they learn
they have been deceived?
Upon the answers to these queries
observers agree. infinitely more de-
pends than upon the truth or lack
OF truth In the sensational report
published today by Les Nouvelles, q
French-language paper at The Hague
that the n-year-old field marshal
died Of congestion Of the brain after
. stroke Of apoplexy following q
violent quarrel with the Kaiser a
Spa. Belgium
A year ago the death of Hindenburs
would have shaken the German en-
pire in IL foundations. To the allies
IL would have been worth many ar
army corps, for 1t would have taker
from the German people a demigod
and from the German armies the one
man they believed capable of Ieadins
them to victory over 4 world in
arms.
CIashed With KAISER.
But at the zenith of his glory, In
the midst Of one Of the most remark.
able periods OF hero worship history
records-lthe German Hindeaburs
craze. whro- the fsgsd field dsmzrshai'i
star outsbone that Of the HohenzoI
lern, when he was idoIized a. tn,
omnipotent father" of 6o0Oo0oo soul
at the height Of that idolatry, one
day and many succeeding days hi.
iron will clashed with the headstrons
impulsiyeness of his imperial master
The monarch who dared dismiss 9
Bismarck and later, in this very war
Q Tirpitz. did not hesitate to break
Father Hindenburg."
A Hindenburg could not bt
thrust ruthlessly aside like a Tir.
pitz or Bethmann or Kuehlmann. Tc
conciliate the worshipipng million,
a new idol must be created. And ali
the cunning OF the Potsdam psy-
biologists was concentrated in do
ing It. To replace the man of the
Masurian Swamps in the hearts OF
his countrymen his "other half" wa.
chosen. the man who on the night OF
August %, 1914. came to Hanover tc
fetch the pensioned general in q
special train to grand headquarters
in the east and who throughout the
eastern campaign served him as his
chief Of staff-Ludendorff.
Ludendorff Brought Forward.
AS soon as the Emperor had de-
cided upon Hindenburg's doom the
Ludendorr propaganda began. Stor-
les began to appear in the German
press that the rail brains behind the
Eastern victories was not the great
Hindenburg but his amanuensis
But that was only the beginning
Hindenburgh was, the German peo-
pie thought, the embodiment of the
old time general, the impersonatior
of the victorious sword, Of ruthles.
strength. But this is a war of sci.
ence, OF technique, of organization
and these magic words Ludendorfl
was gradually pictured as personi.
flying. Gradually the people begar
to look indeed to the now almighty
quartermaster general as the mill.
tary master mind.
Thus II Hindenburg is confirmed
to be dead today. tomorrow with
little ado, Ludendorff automatically
takes his place. The campaign Of
idol replacement was unquestionably
successful.
But for that very reason it 4.
inevitable that should the German
people tomorrow be told that Hin.
denburg has been dead for weeks oil
months they will rise in wrath
against the powers that deceived
them. What else is there we dC
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO.