New-York tribune., 1918-09-25


Memorandum to Dr. Albert
"I have obtained a thirty day op-
ton, without cost TO me, Of a con
trolling interest o. The American
Press Association. s1,GO0,000 cor
: poration. with the main Office in New
York and seventeen branch Offices
and plants IL the prnclpal cities OF
the United States. The price is
$500. 900 $780, 900 more would have
10 be available for the installation
Of news service by means of tick
clS. the patents for which are con-
uollcd by the American Press Asso-
citation. There are only two nows
tick.rs suitable for this work. the
i other being controlled bv the Cen
tral News Company. wnlcn is an Eng
NSh corporation."
Mail" Purchase Follow ed
Other documents in the case show
that other German propagandists op-
posed Claussen's scheme to acquire the
property OF Brisbane's brother law
ately thereafter the Huns acquired
The New York Evening Mail"
Following the disclosures in the Al
bert case, Smith denied that he had been
approached ON the German proposition
TO purchase the American Press Asso-
cation. he admitted. however. the
American Press Association printed the
daily bulletin of the German Informal
ton Service. a pro German organiza-
tlon. OF which CiauSsen was the nominal
mead. These bulletins were sent to
more than five hundred daily newspa-
! pers throughout the United States.
We are under a contract admitted
! smith at the time. "to print the sheets
OF ro-Gcrman news, and We make no
secret about it, Claussen sends us the
articles he wants printed and we re-
turn the proofs to him. which he issues
, TO any papers or persons free Of charge
There IS nothing at all secret about
that.
Nothing Secret. Smith Declared
We have printed this sheet for
Claussen ever since last Aueust&cvor
since the war started. 1t is out and
out German sheet and gives only the
herman side OF the news, but it is fo,
that purpose that it is issued. The
name shows that there is nothing Sc
oret about the project. It is issued
under the title OF the German nforma
uon service. If it were named the
r rord News Service and carried only
German news. or if it had name eli.
culated to mislead one might look unon
1T as feature OF the secret propa-
ganda Pi0pa
konta refused 10 talk when seen at
ms once. - Exchange Place, yestor-
day. lie said he would wait 10 give
ms side OF the case until the United
states senate began its inquiry into
'nc 6rlsbanc- brewers onta Dernburo
, affair. ''''' :
Creel Got Report On konta
Iiungarlans in this city declared that
l ,ney brought kontas o-German ac-
2 liNl'tes TO the attention of George
Crcel, chairman of tho COMMITTEES on
Public Information. after Crecl had
e. appointed him president of the Amcri-
4 can-hungarian Loyalty League. By
t virtue OF this appointment, kon.a was
an othcial of Crecls bureau, and re-
i cciIed salary of 81 a year.
, 1t was learned yesterday that when
5 1t became known that the Alien Prop
: cr'y Custodian was TO make public the
CORES pondencc between Konta and the
, Hun propagandists and paymaster al
spies and tcrrorists Konta was dronped
J by Creel. ~
A. rcvealed BY The Tribune. Konta
l long before Germany plunged the world
[ INTO maelstrom. was cspousjng tho
) cause of the Dual Monarchy in the
press, especially in the Hungarian
'N'hS'i iNd'i newspapers.
konta's Trip to Vienna
Back III 1912. in the issue of Decem-
ner -. he New York Times" pub
sished a page article signed BY Alex.
amer honta. in which he claimed tha,
ne ne, was contidant Of the Hungarian
Minister of Foreign Affairs and haG
been summoned to Vienna to talk owe,
affairs of state with him. I'm this ar.
> ticle konta wrote:
ION the morrow OF the annexation
5 OF Bosnia Herzegovina, in January.
I I9O". was III Vienna at the reuues,
OF the Austro-liungarian Foreign Or
nee. had a long interview with
Count Aehrenthal the Foreign Min
, ister), who did me the honor Of TAX.
I ing me into his confidence. not in the
diplomatic but in wha, I may call
he hlstorico- philosophical sense OF
the word'
After the war began Konta became
IN active pro-German propagandisv
, The following is d sample of his work
, taken from the editorial page Of the
"Nepszava":
Wrote Pro-German Editorial
The Fathcrland in Danger"
here arc no race divisions now
IN Hungary only lIungarians eager
TO struggle. resolved to win or die.
1 And we shall win.
I'VE face them the Entonte) by
the side OF our ally Germany =
England, who plotted this horror for
the sake of Manchester goods. but
who piously prates about civilization
and democracy; France. who has been
blinded for nea,is 1alf a century by
lust of revenge; Russia. whose cats
paw they both are. And to us, Hun
!, garians Americans, a Russian victory
viii mean the yellow danger Of
Japan. America realizes this uneas-
ily. but is afraid 20 speak out. She
makes up for it by shouting for
civilization. democracy and tho
knout'
: "Loya wc are 10 the King Of
Hungary. and being loyai TO him, in
spending our lives, our blood. and