The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-12-14
HUNS SENT OUT
AGENTS Weeks
BEFORE THE WAR
Anti.Japanese Propaganda BY
Means of Film
WILSON CENSORED FILM
Major Dickinson Was Employed to
Get Inside information to Be Trsns'
mitted to Berlin.

Washington, Dec l3.-Sensation
followed sensation with rapidity today
at the session OF the Senate Commit
tee at It's investigating German pro-
paganda in the United States, before
as well as after this country entered
war. For most Of the day Captain
George G. Lester of the Military Intel
ligence Division OF the General Staff
OF the Army was on the stand. To
Captain Lester had been delegated
the duty by Secretary of War Baker.
OF making public some of the secrets
which have up to this time been un-
der lock and key in the iron boxes OF
the Army Intelligence Service.
Captain Testers most interesting
disclosure was based on the confes-
sion of former German Official, who
has confessed to having been sent
here as a propagandist. This man Is
now In custody and his deportation
is under consideration. He has told
the Federal officials that in June, be.
fore Archduke Francis Ferdinand of
Austria was assassinated at Sarajeyo,
the German Government was plotting
the war.
Captain Lester told the story of the
Aim play "Patria" which was pro.
duced by company controlled by
Hearst and in which the anti-Japa.
nese propaganda was played with
such boldness that President Wilson
stepped in and caused the elimination
Of the Objectionable features. The
witness said that the producers there.
, upon gave all the Japanese characters
Mexican names but left the Mexican
soldiers wearing Japanese uniforms
Production OF this play, in which Mrs.
Irene Castle was the star. IT about
$4,000.
The testimony also dealt with Ger,
tain stories written by Edward Lyell
Fox, which appeared in The New
York American In the first year of the
European war, These stories. FoS
has confessed. were nsn' J by the
German Foreign Once. and he told
the General Staff that a certain stor,
which he wrote, and which was print
ed as Sunday feature by the Hearst
papers in April, 1915, was false from
beginning to end. In this it was
charged that the Russians, when they
invaded East Prussia. had cut off ths
hands OF German children and com
mitted many other atrocities. Othel
stories he admitted were equall,
false.
Still another revelation introduced
new character into the German pro
paganda machine in this country. TIL,
newcomer is Major J. NJ. Dickinson
until recently an officer of the Unite,
States Army, and who before he cam,
to Washington several years ago. wa
political writer on the staff OF TIL,
New York American He was also
friends of William jennings Bryan
and had access before this countr
entered the war, to all the varIou
Government departments.
Major Dickinson, Captain Leste
said, had been employed to get insid
Government information which wa
transmitted direct TO the Foreign O
flee in Berlin. In one OF the report
Dickinson referred TO a visit he mad
to Shadow Lawn, the then summe
home of the President. and in anothe
he asserted that he had been respol
slble for the leak" which precede
the publication OF the Wilson pcac
note in January, 1917