Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-31
HUN PEACE DRIVE HERE,
j. S. GREATEST DANCER
Men at Front Look to Home
People to Keep Out of Hun
Trap, Says Correspondent.

New York, Aug 81 Floyd Gibbons,
war correspondent for The Chicago
Tribune who was wounded when he
went over the top with the marines at
Chateau-Thlerry, at a reception gwen
to him by the New York Press Club
predicted that the coming Winter would
witness the greatest German peace
offensive thus launched.
The next German peace offensive
Will be put out in most attractive form,
he SAID 1T will be plausible and in
sidIous. The offensive Will not be launched
through diplomatic channels The Ger
mans will try to create a sentiment IN
this country for peace. They will start
a1resh the whispering propaganda which
Is still gong on To some extent.
GERMAN PEACE PLAN BARRED
/. People will be led 10 believe that
Germany will be ready to give up the
occupied portions of France, Belgium,
and renounce claim To AlSace Lorraine.
! Now that the tide Is turned, the Germans
IN the next peace offensive. will aim 10
have the people IN the allied nations say
that the time has come, when after four
wears of warfare and the shedding of
much blood, 1t would be better to talk
things over. That is the tlung we must
steel ourselves against We must beware
of our American Iansdownes. The peace
takers will possibly be able to muster
up some well-known men. but that
ought 10 make no difference as far as
the real feelings Of the people are con-
cerned.
SAYS ARMY Is NOT AFRAID.
The men out there are not afraid Of
what Is to come. They know that the
supply Of comrades IN arms and OF equip
ments will continue. but what they are
afraid OF Is that the people back home
NAV he persuaded to believe the insidious
whispering peace propaganda that is to
be launched this Winter, and even before
the Winter sets in
IF the people Of thus country 70 any
extent are apparently convinced that
there Is anything In the German peace
offensive the men IN the American kx-
pedltIonary Forces will he greatly dis
appointed II will be blow to them rs
bad IN effect on their morale as the loss
OF battle The army knows that Ger
many IS beaten now. Make no mistake
about that. The ginger and initiative Of
the American soldier has astnulshed the
world But II did not surprise America
We always knew what the American
soldier was and what he would do when
he had chance 10 demonstrate his abll-
Itles The men In the allied armies know
TODAY that they are entitled 10 a peace
by dIctatlon and they will not be satls-
fed by less.
TWO FoRMs or PEACE PLEADINGs.
''The German peace offensive viii
have two phases First there viii be
the rumors and reports that YOU will
hear at home about conditions at the
front, and particularly Of the desire of |
Germany 10 withdraw from the war on
certain terms The second phase Will |
be the correspondence OF the people at
home with their boys and relatives IN
France. The whispering propaganda of |
the Hun will attempt 10 pass the word |
OF Germany ) pretended promises TO the |
boys IN the trenches IN order 10 carry |
ON a cam paIgn Of defeatism. There will |
be people who will draw YOU to one side |
and whisper, i hear that the Germans !
are ready to do this or that, These |
runOrs will reach the ears Of men and |
women who have sons and daughters |
at the front. The letters sent by these
fathers and mothers will voice some /
OF these reports.
There Is but one thing TO do with /
such propaganda Kill il when It /
starts. Spread the story about among |
the population Of the InsIDccrI Of Ger /
many peace offensive be fore It starts /
Get the people ready to expect It so
that they may know whe 4 1t arrives on
schedule time that It Is nothing more
than lnsldlous. false, pernlclolls and !
dangerous propaganda, dangerous to the !
morale at home and TO the morale of
the men on the firing line