Arizona republican., 1918-06-08
RETALIATION UPON GERMANS PROMISED
 FUR HUNS ABUSES
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, June 7.-The Ger man government. threatening mis- treatment of Americans because of the imprisonment of the bomb plotter Franz Rintelen, has been warned by the United States to remember that such a step will draw swift retalia tory action upon the thousands of Germans in this country
 Offers to Exchange Prisoners
 Germany's threat and the answer of the United States were disclosed to- day by the state department. In a note presented by the Swiss minister here, the Berlin foreign office pro- posed to exchange for Rintelen, Sieg- fried Paul London, a German born, naturaliZed American citizen serving 10 years in prison in Germany for acting as a Russian spy. Notice was given that an answer to this pro- posal was awaited before putting into execution contemplated measures of reprisal against Americans in Ger many because of the failure of pre- vious efforts to relieve Rintelen.
 5000 Germans lnterned Here
 Secretary Lansing replied with terse communication refusing to con- slider the exchange and suggesting that, while the United States does not acknowledge the principle of repris- als occasioning physical suffering, it would be wise for Germany to con- slider that if it acts upon that prin- ciple it inevitably will be understood to invite similar action on the part of the United States.
 Point was given to the secretary S suggestion by a statement issued to- night by the war department. 1t shows that 133 American soldiers have | tnH ir and 216 American civilians, including merchant sailors, interned in Ger many, while there are some 5000 Ger mans interned in this country, includ- l ing 1910 prisoners of war. No men, | tion was made of the fact that there are not more than a few hundreds all told in Germany while there are hun dreds of thousands of Germans in the United States who have been sub jected only to the minor restrictions attending registration.
 Said to bs Relative of Kaiser
 NEW YORK, June 7.-Captain Franz von Rintelen, alais Hansen, alias Gasche. alias Gates, etc, leader of the German bomb plotters in the United States and for whom the Ger man government is trying to ex- change an American prisoner of war was said, when a captive in England three years ago, to be the Duke of Mecklenburg- -Schwerin, a relative oi the German emperor. At the time of his trial here there also were persist ent reports that he bore a much closer relationship to the emperor but one which was not officially recognized.
 Death Not Too Severe
 Won Rintelen and ten other plotters were convicted here last February of attempting to blow up American ships and were sentenced to the Atlant; penitentiary for a year and a half and fined s2,000 each. The judge who committed them said life imprison- ment, or even death. would not be toe severe in view of the gravity of their crime. Von Rintelen was the finan- cial head of the conspiracy which covered the entire United States.
 Von Rintelen is thoroughly familiar with three countries-the United States and Mexico-and during the six years preceding the outbreak of the war travelled extensively in all three.