The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-19
BERLIN PLANNED
IN 1909 FOR WAR
PUBLICITY HERE
Hired Won Skal of "Staats-
Zeitung" to Run Won Pa.
pens Propaganda Bureau.
RELIEF FUNDS MISUSED
Most Of 100000 Raised for
Widows Went to Pay for
PrO-German Activities.

As early as 1909 Germany was laying
her plans for the conquest OF public
opinion in the United States in anticipa-
tion of Der Tag" Naive admissions
substantiating that fact have been
wrung by Deputy Attorney-General AL
fred s. Becker from no less a person
than George Won Skal. an American
citizen OF German birth, who acted as
confidential assistant to Capt Won
Papen, the German Military Attache,
who was chased out of this country be-
fore the United States entered the war.
Reading between the lines of the
transcript OF Won Skals testimony given
at the investigation through which State
Auorney-General Lewis il endeavoring
to trace the source and the course of
German propaganda funds. IL Is appar-
ent that Germanys "farsighted' scheme
conceived before the war had its cul-
mination in the purchase Of the Evening
Nail and in the establishment of the
German Information Bureau.
On the witness stand Won Skal admit
ted that in 1909 while he was in Berlin
on a visit he was offered the place in
Won Papen's office by the chief Of the
Intelligence ONCE Of the General STAFF.
who told him that a man was needed
here who could keep Tin touch" with the
press when the war broke out" Per-
haps Won Skal's most Significant bit of
testimony. however, was the statement
that in accepting the post he had stipu-
lated that he was to drop the work
Immediately IL America became in
volved."
Numerous Disclosures Made.
Other important disclosures made
49, 80 a.
tlgation and discussed at length In
typewriter statement issued yesterday
by Deputy Acknowledgement Becker
were:
/. That Germany, in pursuance of
her worldwide scheme to pervert public
opinion, took steps year before war
was declared to gain control Of the
anxiety to carry out this plan she re-
sorted to bribery.
.. That thousands Of dollars raised
In this country by the German Red
Cross and other Teutonic relief or
sanizations" filtered through the nim-
BILE fingers Of Ambassador Won Bern
storff into the yellow dog fund for
the subsidisation Of newspapers and
writer's here.
3. That some time after the outbreak
Of the war Percival Kuhne called
meeting ut his home on Madison ave-
nue. for the discussion Of a plan for
the purchase Of paper in this city.
and that this conference was attended
by Won Bernstorff, Karl W. Neuhoff.
president Of the German Club here. and
number of other German gentle
men,"
When Won Skal appeared at the At
torney Generals office to give his testi-
mony his coat was bedecked with Red
Cross buttons, Liberty Loan buttons
and service pin. over tho breast
pocket Of his vest he displayed the
allied colors, and he did not neglect to
mention the fact that his son Richard.
20 years old. is now serving with the
s05th Infantry. f" g..
He testified that he was born in
Posen. Germany. but that he had come
to this country in 1877 and had taken
out his citizenship papers In 1854. He
formerly was managing editor Of the
New York Stats Zeitun0 and served
as Commissioner OF Accounts in the
His salary while in the office Of Capt.
Won Papen was $23s per month.
Work Arranged For in 1909.
How did you come to meet Capt. Won
Papen?" asked Mr.. Becker
Well" replied the witness. at was
arranged long before my meeting with
him that l should do this work. II was
really arranged in 1909. / happened to
be in Berlin In 1909 and met a gentle
man who lad served in the same regi-
ment that l had when l was in the Ger
man army and he was chief OF the In
telligence Office of the General STAFF or
OF the news bureau, as they called 1t.
He said that he had often thought of
me because when tie war broke out
they. wanted 20 have somebody here in
the military attaches office who could
be in touch with the press--see some
one who might tell them what should
be done with the press and WHO could
also take clippings from newspapers
here such as might be interesting to
them not alone for the war but also on
economic subjects and natural resources
Of the United States
He asked me would ! take 1t and |
said l would. of course under the condi-
ton that IL America in any way became
involved i should drop the matter right
on"
In describing his work in Won Papen's
ONCE Won Skal testified that he some
times assisted the military attache in
cooling dispatches. In doing this he
said he employed the official code OF the
German General STAR. First, he said,
he did his work in the offices of G. Am
sinck & Co. and then in Won Papen's
In response to a question regarding
his activities as secretary OF the second
German bazaar Won Skal replied that
part of the 100000 or $500, 900 raised
at this fair for the relief of tine widows
and orphans of German soldiers was
deposited in the Steneck TAsst Company
In Hoboken and the rest vas turned
over TO Ambassador Won Bernstorfr and
Or. Fuehr
Several Large Funds Raised.
What these men did with the money
he could not say, but Mr. Becker has
drawn his own conclusions from other
testimony taken by him. In his state
ment experimenting the testimony Mr.
Becker has this to say
Several large funds were raised nv
Germans In this country. for instance
the Red Cross fund the German IA
zaar and the Iron Cross fund. Con-
tributors to the Iron Cross fund would
receive autographed certificate stating
that the owner of the certificate had con,
tributed so much money to the helm Of
the orphans and widows OF German SOL
diers.
won Skal. an assistant OF Can't. Won
Pspen. In charge OF the latter's secret
Geographic codes. was secretary OF thu
second German Bazaar and also score
tary or the enterprise that was called
the Iron Cross Society. The proceeds of
these various funds. ostensibly gath
cred for German charitable purposes
were deposited to the credit OF Count
Won Bernstoin in his account with Kuhn
Loeb Co However, all the procea]s
NJ these funds did not find their wav