Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-23

successfully used by the Government
against the press as an argument to
COW dissatisfied journalists craving
real news.
OF all the Government officials az
the conference, Count Wedel. of the
Foreign Office. used TO play upon the
vanity and weakness of the Berlin
Journalists with the greatest virtu-
osity. At one time the Turkish Am.
bassador in Berlin, Hakki Pasha, had
been criticizing the policy of the Ger
man Government. His remarks had
displeased the Foreign Office. At the
next meeting of the press conference
the Count. in his deceptively bluff and
genial way, which concealed the most
absolute contempt for journalists in
general and the members of the con-
ference in particular, confided Hakki
Pasha's ragaries as great State Sc
cret to the newspaper men present,
adding that Hakki seemed to be a
strange kind of Ambassador and that
the Turkish Government would do well
to recall him. That very same eve.
ming the turbaned Turk appeared at
the Foreign Office in the Wilhelm
Strasse, before Herr Won Jagow. ex-
postulating, demonstrating, promising
amendment and denying any intention
of offending the German Government.
A journalist. bursting with mpor.
tance. had rushed over to the Turkish
embassy Immediately after the press
conference and told poor Hakki every.
thing that had been said about him.
Count Wedel, knowing his man, had
hit upon this ingenious way of bring.
ing the Turkish diplomat to his senses
without the official intervention OF the
Foreign Office. which, of course, denied
4. -
tions with journalists.
subdues the Journalists
To make matters worse. Count
Wedel told the whole story at the next
meeting of the conference. to the utter
confusion of the press delegates, who
were very subdued and submissive for
a long time after. although they were
at first very indignant that the Gov
ernment had speculated on their ha
| bitual indiscretion in this manner.
Nevertheless. Count Wedel's methot
| has since undoubtedly been repeatedly
! employed by the Kaiser's Government
whose representatives at the press con
! ference often impart information a.
| a great secret which they desire I,
! be widely known and talked about
! Naturally. this kind of information is
always false. especially when II |,
| of a military character. In such case
the general staff hopes this doctore,
news" may eventually reach tn
Entente authorities and lead then
| astray.
1t seems incredible. but in spite O
this truly shameful treatment mos
of the journalists attending the pres,
conference and the papers they rer
resent gratefully accept the scraps o
news the Government filings then
from time to time. and. In return, obedj
emily carry out all its directions. Wit
the exception of a few extreme Agra
rians OF Count Reventlow's stamp an
still fewer Socialists, like Helmuth vo
Gerlach, the German Journalists wri,
the articles the Government want,
attack or praise, hate or fiatter. az m
word OF command from the gener,
staff or the Foreign Office. II is in
possible correctly to gauge the powe
the Kaiser exercises over the mir
OF his subjects or to read between m
lines of a German newspaper witbo,
knowing how the press conferenc
works. This institution is one mo,
triumph of the extraordinary Prussia
talent for organization and subordin
tion which the war has revealed
The German press is I'm rea,i,
edited by the Kaiser and his acolyte
: and the story OF the press conferenc
, Is the story of the German people.