Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-03-09
B'ERNST0RFF
CONNECTED
WITH FRAUD
Alleged to Have Been Gath
ering Passports for Fraud
ulent Use.

A letter written BY Hams Adam, vop
Wedell to Ambassador Won BernstorM\
to Justify his action in abandoning the
work Of gathering passports for fraud
ulent use, is shown in facsimile Nm
the Worlds Work Tor March. The
interesting document, not only be-
cause 1t reveals a lot Of weak human
nature in the agents Of German ef-
lhciency" but also because 1t definitely
revealed Won Papen and Albert a.
principals In the German plots as
early as three months after the war
started:
Hotel st. George. Felix FieEer.1pro-
prietor. Eyack-on.Hudson. December
z6. 1914. His Excellency the Inn
perial German Ambassador Count o
Bernstorff; Washington, y. c. Your
Excellency: Allow me most obedi-
entity to put before you the following
facts: 1t seems. that. an attempt has
been made to produce the impression
UPON you that I preYaaturely aband-
oned my post in New York. That Is
l. Ny work was done. AT my de-
parture / left the service, we'll orr
ganized and worked out to its minut-
est details. in the banda Of my sue
cessor. Mr.. Carl Ruroede. picked out
by myslf. and, despite many warnings,
still tarried for several days in New
sary final directions and in order to
hold in check the blackna:lers thrown
on my hands by the German officers
until after h passage Of my travellers
through Gibraltar. in which sue
ceeded. Mr. Ruroede will testify to
you that without my suitable prelim-
mary lators, in which I left no con-
ceivable means untried n in which
l took not the slightest consideration
Of my personal veal OF, woe, it would
b. impossible for him, as well as for
''aspirants" in any number whatever
to Europe. This merit lay claim to
and the occurrences Of the last days
have unfortunately compelled me, out
Of sheer self-respect, to emphasize this
to your eSce!iency.
III. The motives which induced me
t~o-leave New York and which, to my
astonishnlent, were not communicated
TO you. are the following: =
l.. knew that the state depart
ment had. for three weeks, withheld a
Why? 1' =
- Ten days before my departure
learnt from a telegram sent me b,
Mr.. Vonn r'apcn, which stirred ME w
very much. and further through tn.
omission Of a cable, that Doctor Starr
had fallen into, the hands OF thu
English. That g~entlen,an's forged pa
pars were liable to come back any IA,
and could, owing chiefly to his lack O
caution. easily be traced back to me
3. officers and aspirants Of the clas'
which I had to forward over, namel,
! the people, saddled me with a lot o
criminals and blackmailers. who's
eventual revelations. were liable t
bring about any day the explosion o
the bomb.
urgently ordered me to hide myself.
5. Mr.. 1gel had told me I was tax
ing the matter altogether too light.
. and ought. %to-.-for Gods sake-dtsap
pear. II vynt ~. \ ?. 80.
vised me to hastily quit New York
inasmuch as a local detective agenc;
was ordered to go after the passpor
!. it had become clear to me tina
eventual arrest might yet injure tn
worthy undertaking and that MY dis
appearance would probably put /
stop to all investigation in this direc
ton.
How Urgent it was for me to &
away Is SnCNH Wy LIE ldII ebdl' I
days after my departure. detective!
who had. followed up my telephon
calls. hunted up my wife's harmless
and unsuspecting cousin in Brookly
and subjected her. to an; interrogator.
Mr.. Won Papen and Mr.. Albert hay
told my wife that l forced myself for
ward to do this work. That is nc
true. When /, In Berlin. for the frs
time heard OF this commission, ! OF
jected to going and represented to tn
gentlemen that my entire livelihoo
which I had created for myself j
Ams;ica by six years Of labor was q
stake therein. have no other mean
and although Mr.. Albert told my Wit
my practice was not; worth talkin
about, it suficed, nevertheless, to de
Gently support myself and wife and
build my future on. l. have finally,
the suasion Of Count Wedell, under
taken it, ready to sacrifice my futur
,, land that of nty%Hifes I=have, in-orde
TO reach my, goal. despite INFINITE dill
ficulties. destroyed everything that
built up here for myself and"my wifi
I have perhaps sometimes been avn
, ward. but always full Of good wi
and 1 now travel back to German
, with the consciousness of having dor
my duty as we'll az understood j
and Of having accomplished my tasl
With expressions Of the most e,
quisite consideration, am, your e,
cellency. +
, Very respectfully,