New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-12
Editor Says Hearst EN-
ploye Was Selected After
Meeting DR.. Dernburg
Ridder Wanted to
Purchase "The Sum-
Efforts to Buy N. Y. Paper
With German Money Told
to Attorney General


Sylvester Viereck in his recent exami-
nation was made public yesterday by
Deputy State Attorney General Alfred
l.. Becker, throwing new light on the
German propaganda scheme to pur-
chase New York newspaper.
The former editor of "The Father
land" told of several conferences held
to determine which newspaper it would
be advisable to buy, and said that for
mer Governor O. B. Colquitt of Texas
participated in some of the conferences
with himself, Bernard Ridder and DR..
Dernburg.
Viereck's testimony made clear why
DIR. William Bayard Hale, in charge of
the German information service, at
1923 Broadway, who was the official
correspondent in Berlin during June
and July of 1916 of William Randolph
Hearst's "New York American" was
chosen as leader in the propaganda
work.
Were Other Candidates
"At my suggestion" Viereck said,
CDR Hale was employed to advise in
a literary campaign to agitate the peo-
pie because he came back from Europe
and wrote very fine article. which
seemed extremely fair, coming from an
American of the old stock.
1--WE discussed various men in that
connection, and Mcclure was men
toned, and DR.. Hale, and, if am not
mistaken, Creel. 1 think Creel was
mentioned. I suggested DR.. Hale be
cause of his very fine article"
During the discussion about buying
a newspaper in New York, Viereck said,
garding the conference with ex-Gov-
ernor Colquitt, Becker asked Viereck
if there was any connection between
those meetings and the purchase of
"The Evening Mail" later.
81 don't know if there was any con-
nection between those negotiations and
the conference which subsequently led
to the purchase of The Mail,'" Viereck
was quoted as saying. "The only con-
meeting link is the conference between
Dernburg, Bernard Ridder and my
self"
Bidding Sent Prices Up
Mention was made of a letter which
Viereck wrote to DR.. Heinrich r. AL
Embassy, just before the purchase of
"The Mail" in which the writer COM
planned that DR.. Edward A. Rumely
had been telling the people in Chicago
that the Germans were going to buy a
newspaper and that he (Rumely) and
Schweitzer - the late Dr.. y Hugo
Schweitzer-were bidding against each
other, and that the price of "The MALI
had gone up several thousand dollars.
Some of the meetings were held in
Dernburg's apartment in the Ritz
Carlton, Viereck said
Eat one Of these conferences" said
Viereck, "Ridder wanted to buy The
Sum and grew excited and smashed
the table, declaring: I know that if
get "The Sum-" the Associated Press
must give it the franchise
Colquitt Wanted Paper
Explaining occurrences which led up
to the conferences, Viereck said: "At
enc time | had talk with DR.. Dern-
burg and Ridder at the Ritz-Carlton
and suggested that some way should
be found to buy a newspaper in New
York and to represent the German
American interests, and of course, Rid
der's idea was to get hold of the paper
for himself
eve discussed it from every point of
view. At the same time meetings were
going on with Ex-Governor Colquitt of
Texas, who wanted to purchase a
metropolitan newspaper, and they
wanted US to get some of the Ger
mans here to take metropolitan news
paper and to talk with some of the
Texas politicians. When these confer
ences came along Dernburg and Rumely
took part.
SAT the conference at the Ritz Carl
ton at the apartment of DR. Dernburg,
Rumely took part in the discussion.
but he said very little. had the feel
ing that he thought he ought to be
appointed to buy the paper. At the
same time Schweitzer was assigned to
collect money for a paper"