Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-12-22
WHY GERMANY HATES
AMERICAN RED CROSS
Stor, of prussinn Ouicr illustrates
How II BrpLc Down spirit
OF German Nation.
uy ALICE LEONE tLrENoRD


tSan Francisco
A few daN4 REo | visited Ger
man hospibl prison camp IN Eng.
land, In one ward found u rrus
sian officer who had been captured
two days before on tho Flanders
front
While tho nurse was explaining
his injury tn me | noticed that the
German was glaring at the Ncd
Cross on my shoulder strap AH |
Was about 10 turn away the patient
muttcrrd; II hate dot Red Cross, |
hate It" why should YOU hat.
ihn organization which saved your
lifr'' | asked. for | was frankly
puzzled by the prussian officers
evident luminosity wv W. Tor dis
reason" responded thu ohrrliru-
"nant, raising himself higher while
hts eyes flashed. II hate dot Rcd
Cross because II has broken the
brave spirit of the German peoples"
For 10 minutes the officer con
,lnurd To describe the offences ~
tho American Rcd Cross IN Ger-
many. As ! listened 10 him began
10 realize that the American Rod
Cross had been ono of III, most
potent factors IN the breaking down
of tho morale of tho military and
civilian populations ~ Germany
THIS work was accomplished by our
Red Cross unconRclously. Yet Il
has bc0n done, and done well This
II what tho German officer revealed
TO me:
Duo To n carefully censored press
and n lack Of any direct outside
communication. the German people
have been kept In complete ig-
noranc- regarding the other coun-
tries OF the world. Meantime
steady system OF propaganda calcu-
lated to deceive has been operating
The civilians were told that their
sufferlnGs were nothing np com
pared TO those Of the allies, that
America was not entering TO any
Rppreclahlc extent into the war. that
tn" American Red Cross had prac-
ticcd atrocities against tho sherman
prisoners.
Tho people believed this propa-
Eanda. II had tho desired effect for
time OF making them endure any
sacrifice. They might still beiicv.
much of II were II not for the fact
that the American Red Cross has
been quietly operating In tho very
midst of the German civilians ms
grca, existing proof ~ the falslty OF
tho German propaganda, II has
been tho only visible symbol Of the
outside OF Germany World" but
II has been n powerful one. ON tho
very day that n leading Hamburg
paper published an article stating
that America would never enter
actively in,o.t9e war n large group
OF American prisoners was quar-
faN In.
Immediately thcr. was erected an
| American Red Crosk depot. Warm
| clothing. medicine. food and supplies
OF all kinds arrived In large quaint
ties. The German townspeople came
and inspected tho depot and Its great
store Of supplies. In the face OF this
concrete evidence II was no, strange
that they began To wonder whether
America did lack supplies or did in
t'nd only to act aS a figurehcad In the
war.
On another occasion the Berlin
| Tageblatt published an entire col
uinn In Justification of thu bombing
OF Red Cross hospitals, the sinking
OF Red Cross shitr. and firing upon
Red Cross s,re,cherb.ar-rs Tho
| Tagcblatt told OF the inhumnnltv OF
the allied and American Red Cross In
miAtrrating German prisoners In
starving them and denying Mem
medical attention.
Next day group Of more than 500
Germans who had been cared for In
ne American and allied Red Cross
hospitals were RETURNED Ia their
home. In Germany They told OF
clean hospitals. expert surgeons,
good food and kind treatment The
Gorman people began To ask ques-
tionr Once they questioned the
statement OF their government and
their press. the supreme confidence
OF the German civilian population
was shaken, for people began to
think for themselves.
The German obcrleutenant hated
the Red cross for demonst rating tho
truth concerning America TO his peo-
pie We are proud OF II for the same
reason.