The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-14

peer ana herman prOpaganQa. activity of Teutonic agents befo war.
 Captain Lester declared that an un- named informant, now interned told him that the Berlin government on July 10 1914, nearly month before the war started, called into conference about 1s1 trained and educated German propa- gandists and sent them to all parts of the world with instructions to pre- pare for the world war, which they were told was about to be precipitated. Thirty-one of these landed in the United States two weeks after hostilities start ed and became the nucleus for an or- ganization of between 100000 and sOo,- 600 volunteers, mainly German Ameri- cans, who gathered information of all kinds and reported it to German con suls and agents in hundreds of com munities.
 HALE AT HEAD
 William Bayard Hale, a writer for the Hearst newspapers, and formerly com fidential representative of President Wilson in Mexico, eventually became head of the publicity branch of the orr ganization thus built up, Captain Lester said. The officer also testified that newspapers and writers were influenced to promote German propaganda, film plays were produced promoting distrust of Japan and Mexico. a Washington newspaper man was hired to report government secrets to the German head quarters, writer's were sent to Germany fo t~1, ,,v fet tJxu German cause and golden book" was circulated throughout the United States Eto get signatures of American citizens leaning toward pro-German sympa- thies.
 J. J. Dickinson, a newspaper man and former major in the army, was hired at $40 week to report on, confidential interviews with officials to German headquarters in New York, said Captain Lester. Dickinson claimed that he had confidential. relations with cabinet mem- bers, that he could "get in the back door of the White House" and boasted that he was responsible for the notori- ous leak on the peace note, Captain Les ter declared. The witness admitted that records showed Dickinson did have cont siderable accurate official informatiou of confidential mature. and gave 1t to the German representatives
 REVOLT ATTEMPTED
 Captain Lester, continuing his tes- timony tomorrow. expects to tell how the German agents tried to stir up re- volt among American negroes to serve German purposes.
 The intensive German propaganda eff forts had their beginnings, Captain Les. ter said in a series of lectures given the chosen agents at Berlin by repre- sentatives of thesforeign office and oth- CT German government agencies. Elab- crate memoranda were prepared on de- tailed subjects, and armed with these, 31 sailed from Copenhagen for tho United States August 4,-19l4, arriving August 15, on the same boat with Dr.. Heinnerich Albert, paymaster for the propaganda forces. The only ones of the men mentioned by Captain Lester were Dr. Adoiph Mecklenpurg. Dr. Eric Kraske and pr. Philip Bonn. all of whom have returned to Germany. He explained that for military reasons. oth- CT names could not be disclosed.
 The group sent to America, as well as those sent elsewhere. had specific functions laid out for it. One group of these men was to deal with commer- eial matters; another with political matters, and a third was to specialize in Japanese, Chinese, South. American and M Mexican relations.
 The delegation on arriving in this country established headquarters at 1123 Broadway, arrangements having been made in advance, Captain Lester said, by George Sylvester Viereck. then publisher of a weekly known as the Vate1land Matthew B Claussen, pub iicity manager for the Hamburg American interests. the witness testi- fled, directed work of the German press bureau at first in preparation of printed sheets of articles subtly presenting the German side of the war, but later he was replaced by Hale.
 GREAT SECRECY Great secrecy was maintained concern- ing the maintenance of the headquarters, Captain Lester said. a pass word 'burgo- master being required for admittance to pr. Albert's offices there, through part of the Hamburg American line ticket offices. This was the frequent meeting place of von Bernstorff, Captain BoyEd Von Papen, Wolf Won Igel and other German representatives. according to the witness and direct wires were main tained with the Sayville wireless station. which communicated with the radio tow CT at Nauen. Germany.
 Great quantities of German newspapers magazines and books were shipped into the United States for use of the propa- gandists, and these also went 10 Mexlco and other countries. A Mexico City news paper, La Pensa. described by Captain Lester as violently pro- German re- produced many of the articles. which were distributed there through the minis ter, von Eckhardt,
 Captain Lester read into the record a cablegram from Lord Northcliffe to Arthur Brisbane, in December 1916, two months after the International News services cable privilege had been re- voked. urging Brisbane to come to Eng land
 Suggest you come to England. fuli authority."N read the cablegram. 'On the event given proper assurance your part, helieNa nafter can li4 satisfactorily ai-