New-York tribune., 1918-12-10
Bielaski Hints Espionage
Act Forced Change in
Publishers Utserances
Vast Sums Spent
By Propagandists
Investigator Declares DIR.
Albert Handled $685.
100000 in Campaign
New York Tribune
Washington Bureau

New York Tribune
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The policies
Of the Hearst papers. which had been
frankly pro-German and anti British
bsfore the United States entered the
war. continued TO be very question
aben for some time after we had act
ually got into the struggle, A. Bruce
Hielaski, chief of the Bureau of In
vsstigations of the United States De-
partment of Justice told the Overman
Senate committee investigating brew
ers and propagandists to-day. If the
espionage act had been in force the
oolicies would have subjected Hearst
to prosecution. he declared.
A little later telegram from Hearst
directing his editorial organizations
attention TO the espionage act was read
into the records. The telegram was
one of series which are known to the
government Secret Service as "the
Palm Beach kilograms" which directed
the editorial policy of the Hearst pa
pers during the critical days just pre-
ceding Americas declaration of war.
An objection by Senator King, who was
one of Mr.. Hearst's guests on the eN-
uedition to New York last summer,
stopped the reading after the first one
was completed, and the committee took
I'D their relevance in executive session.
N.1+;ooe PoIo
Mr.. Bielaski also mentioned Hearst
in connection with the Bolo Pacha
cases, which he discussed at some
length. He declared that there were
% no American who knew the facts
regarding Bolo at the time of his visit
here, except perhaps Hearst, and in
that case there was no direct proof.
He pointed out, however, that Bolo had
been brought over from France by Ber-
tell, Hearst's Paris correspondent, and
had been by him introduced to Paven-
stedt and other German agents.
Mr.. Bielaski declared, however, that
so far as the records of the Department
of Justice show, Hearst received no
money or profit from the German
rropagandists. 1t was brought out at
another point in the hearing that the
department does not know the man
ner in which every dollar" of the vast
funds was spent by any means.
Two more of the memoranda, from
the Fuehr papers were put in evidence
in connection with Hearst. The first
expatiated on the friendly attitude Of
the Hearst papers, declared that they
could not be classified as "blind cham
pions" of the German cause, and
pointed out that they care much more
effective in support of our cause than
newspapers with pronounced pro-Ger-
man orientation would be-
Truly Neutral Papers"
The second memorandum, besides its
praise of the Hearst papers, carried a
list of truly neutral" papers from
Fuehr's viewpoint, which included, be-
sides the Hearst publications, such
papers as "The Washington Post
whose record already has been exposed,
and The Milwaukee Free Press" re-
Gently bought by Hearst's star editor.
Arthur Brisbane, and which Bielaski
described as a pro-German sheet in
continued difficulty with the govern
ment. The Chicago Tribune" was also
mentioned in DR.. Fuehr's list, and Mr..
Bielaski explained that this was prob
ably because of the extremely Ger
manophlle correspondence sent from
Germany by James O'Donnell Bennett.
question from Senator Overman
brought out the fact that DR.. Heinrich
Albert, of the propaganda bureau, alone
had handled some $35, 100000 of German
money of which the Department of JUS
tice has learned. Boy-Ed had his own
funds, Bielaski added, and Bernstorfi
also spent "some millions"
Some of Big Sums Spent
he was unable to give an estimate
OF the total German funds. Some ol
the expenditures he mentioned were
bolo, s1,800,000; Evening Mail" ST.
Propaganda, 100000 to 100000; un
charted sums for the purchase of ships
supplies and SO forth, and for snug
Cling ventures, most of which failed.
Sources of German Funds
The channels through which the
herman funds came follow
First. a loan, March l, 1915, nine
months, notes due January /, 1916,
S7l00,o0O.
Second, two-year treasury bonds,
due September /, 1913, sold mainly
to German insurance companies
doing business in the United States,
about $1,80o,000
Third, ons-year German treasury
bills, sold June. 1916, due March 1,
1917, and partly renewed on that
date, $3600,000.
Total sales of treasury bonds and
bills, $12500, 900.