Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-26
GERMANS SOUGHT
tceatinusa from Page onso

0<AAht9A<A<4AS IVY - 0A4A
 feentinusd from Page one) in America and outlined plans for ob- l control of wool stocks for 1 German consumption after the war. Mr. Becker said it was significant that in this letter Schwerdt alluded to him. self as German and to France as 'the enemy"
 Considered Himself a German.
 There can be no question" said l MT. Becker in a formal report to the state department, that Schwerdt has considered himself a German, that his sympathies are pro German, that he has been engaged in the wool trade iH behalf of German interests and mas guerading under American names and that at the present time he is en- dcayoring to dissimu1ate his real sem timents and those of his son. In gen eral he was not. 80 far as appears. a German government agent but was acting on behalf of German Haanufac- 'turers. clients of the Deutsche bank. The papers show that SchWeEdt went so far as to arrange for the charter of a North German Lloyd steamer to carry the wool to Germany a certain length of time after the close of the war"
 Wool Gathering Plan.
 Among 4e,0eo papers which the at- torney general seized from Schmidt during the Bole Pasha inauiry were a number of letters written by Schmidt in connection with the wool gather ing plan. One of these, according to Mr. Becker, iptredaeed Eugene Schwerdt, Jr., employed by Charles F.. Webb, Philadelphia wool import or to German naaaHfaet0ring interests in South America.
 Ensased in German Scheme.
 The junior Schwerdt was in the Bel gian aviation service at the age of 1T, during the first months of the war With this record. it was easy for him to assume broadly sentiments, inas- much las he aise represented an Amer iean manufacturer in the; wool busi, ness. While working for MT. Webb, the younger Schwerdt was actually engaged in the German scheme Of rounding up wool stocks, according to Mir. Becker, as agent for Schmidt and the branch Of the Deatsehe Bank in this city.
 Two cargees Got Threush.
 
 Schwerdt, MT Becker declared, was to enable Germany to obtain sufH- cient wool for military and industrial purposes. Two cargees, valued to- gether at several hundred thousand dollars actually did get through to Germany early in the war. he said. War Lasted Longer Than Expected The war lasted longer than n1, ol, eiates expected and the British fleet drew its bloekade cordon tightly along the German and neutral European coasts. Confronted by the probabil l ity that further shipment would be in | tercepted, the scheme developed into l the one of hoarding wool until after the war, it is charged.
 To cireumvent Intention of England "A letter from Sehwerdt to Schmidt dated November p. 1s1S," MT. Becker said in his report to the state depart ment, recommends the buying oi American wool with the view of pro- viding Germany or Austria with WOO 1 after the war so as to circumyent the probable intention of England to pre- vent any wools srown in England oi her colonies from reaching the cen trai powers"
 l Wool Stored in America. | MT. Becker said that wool estimated to be, worth s2, ,00e, 600 or $S,oeo, 900 act ually was stored in America for this ! purpose. Then came a wool shortage prices went up and the German inter ests decided to sell because of the profits possible. These profits reach ed Germans in Germany as the woo I had been purchased to their account
 The British government had organ. l ized a Textile Council, authorized tt act as eonsignee for all shipments o British wool to tl,is country Thi: was intended to ' ' it certain tha no wool coming Le. rom British dc, minions fell into German hands il | America. When the United States entered the war, America joined witt l England in the operation of the Tex tile Council, of which A. M. Patter son of this city is the head.
 Concealed Their Purposes. Il Tn order successfully to eircumven the restrictions imposed by the Textil Council. Schwerdt and his associate were obliged to conceal the fact tha purchases contracted elsewhere an; consigned to the Textile Council wer being made by German firms.
 | Used the Name of an American.
 
 Schmidt used the name of John H McClement, an American bushes man, as nominal purchaser" MT Beeker's report to the state depart ment said. "McClement was unabi to obtain an import license and it be came necessary to have an Americal firm serve as nominal purchaser. Flo this purpose Schmidt and Schwerd appear to have used the names o Botany Worsted Mills and Forstman, and Huffman, two wool frianufactur ing firms of Passaic, N. J."
 Mir. Becker said the textile eoanei is studying the details of this trans action with view te revolving tn import licenses of certain individual and. firms if the circumstances war rant" "A letter in his possession, Mi Becker said. shows clearly that ti1i !, firm (Ferstmann and Huffmann) act ed as dummies for German purchasers Another letter shows, he said. tha while Forstmann and Huffmann wer nominal owners of a wool shipmen the actual owner was a man name Koswig living in Germany.
 May Lead to More Arrests. Mir. Becker said that while his in vestigation of Sehwerdt here wa completed, information was in tn hn nSs of fha danarfrsoant ef i,,rf; c