New-York tribune., 1918-08-04

rector Of the Ambrosio Film Compan,
of Turin, Italy. and distributed throus.
out the world the big picture, sou.
Nadis.'
Buying Autos
For French Army
In 1911 he became citizen n
France, intending, he says, to renal,
there for the rest Of his life. Just b..
fore the war began he was in Germ.nv
establishing picture houses and vsuSs.
vile theatres When hostilities opened
however, he was modified in III,
French army, and having had no mill
tary training, but being an exper
motorist, he was assigned as driver for
Inspector General Faurie.
In the meantime his holdings in Ger.
many had been seized Business in
France was paralyzed. Then FOLLOWED
the train of incidents that led up to hi,
entrance into the business of selling
army motor trucks. or this phase o,
his career Godsol gives a summary
thus:
Nobody seemed to realize when III.
war began what pressing need motor
transport would be. Our organization
had been busy trying to sell blankets
uniform cloth and barbed wire without
success. When l looked over the auto.
mobile field l found that the French
factories were engaged exclusively On
munitions.
$50 Higgins was sent to Turin
where Ambrosio introduced him to til,
Fiat people, and we got a contract t,
sell five hundred trucks. That was tll,
largest single order ever before placed
in Europe. Then, believing that tn.
Fiat factory could not produce trucks
in the quantities that probably would
be needed, we proceeded to obtain rep.
reservations in America"
In America the Godsol organization
made a number Of contracts, anon,
others with the Jeffery company. 4
kenosha, and the Pierce Arrow at Bui
falo. Then he proceeded to have the
French army administration Informed
in writing of his business connections,
and the curious part of the entire ai
fair is that while he has been in jail
in Washington, Higgins. Devere and
his other associates, who conducted all
transactions for him, have continued to
do business with the French govern
ment in his behalf. and are still operst-
ing the Godsol workshops in Paris witt
working stats composed entirely q
French soldiers released from the firing
lines especially for that purpose
Godsol points to that in refutstior
of the allegation that he worked under
cover. To the charge that he operated
through the colusion Of N. Thomts
and Of certain officers in the War De-
partment. he answers that the per
sonnel of the government has beer
constantly changing, and that, eonss-
quently, if he had been in the habit Of
bribing he would have had TO corrup'
not two or three men. as alleged, bni
literally scores.
In rebuttal of the further accuse
tion that he claimed, when making
commission contracts, 70 have the up
per hand in the Paris War Department,
he points out that other American
motor companies, working independent
~ have been selling machines !"
France, and that one in particular hs;
sold as many machines as he has.
"If had the monopoly they say
have he says, do you think inds'
pendents would have had chance
AS matter of fact, Godsol, who hsi
been in this country off and on since
1915, returned to France in 1916 to face
the identical charges now pending
against him. and was exonerated.
For that reason he is convinced .ha'
their revival st this time is only PR
of political maneuvre to strAs
through him at NJ Thomas, the former
Minister of Munitions, who sent MN
here first, after a physical breakdown
incapacitated him for military service
of any sort
His purpose at that time. ne declares
was to obtain price reductions on mo'V'
trucks for Franco, which, he CLAIMS
has been and still is paying too mu'''
But the purchasing commission y
which he was assigned refused TO PEI.
nit him TO act. This is another thi''s
which Godsol thinks tends 10 show INV
political character Of the case agslHs'
hin.
"And knowing" he says. "ths'
would be sacrificed 70 the politiesi s''
bitions of NJ Thomas's foes, | am O.
tcrmined TO beat these charges or w.
side of the water If ! can. ! i''e
France am not sentimental ma,
cannot put tears either in my V'','
or eyes and talk of p|rotism' y
pntrie or love Of country. But weu',
do anything FOR my adopted lsnd'
won't 90 back. If can prevent W. "