Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-13
LUDENDORFF, FIRST
IN INTRIGUE AND WAR
To Conquer His Enemy by Sheer
Brute Force, His Method,
Says Franck.

L
lonial Council Intelligence Bureau OF
Ludendorff, generally believed to be the
master mind of the German military
party. This article was translated and
published in the New York Times Maga-
zine, and is rs follows:
Ludendorff is the type of General Stall
officer, of logarlthmetic strateglst, OF an
inexorahle and cool chess player. have
known this man very slightly IN the
usual way of social intercourse. l have
met him talked with him. Others have
done the same If my knowledge ended
there | would know him no better than
they. But my knowledge does not end
there. So | know him better-at least,
differently.
Still. | have some recollection of those
personal interviews recall in a some
what condensed fashion an angular pro-
fiIeSa disQuieting and rowing eye, a WISE
cool expression which owes much to n
couple of hedges of stiff brlstlcs on his
upper lip, and AT his neck the flesn Is
forced into ridges by too high and close
collar. =.
He was. and he freely admitted himself
to be an enigma. But he was at that time
accompanied, like his shadow, by Captain
Won Spitz. PrIssian from Stcttln who
copied and rather exaggerated the attl-
need of couple of bottles Of stout before
he could sleep. became talkative after
sunset 1t is through this von Spitz, who
died at Heiden, on the Lake OF Con
stance. from an attack of delirum tremens
that one could, at favorable intervals,
deeper Ludendorff.
The conduct of men and events, secret
authority over the armies. autocrauc, but
ignorant direction of all that pertains TO
the war. such is the role formerly coveted
and now PLAYED by his stout cmlnenCe,
Hindenburg. The Jovchke Marshal Of the
Mazurian Lakes struts about, giares here
and there. shows himself everywhere and
covers all Germany with his monstious,
dominating shadow.
THE FULLER OF THE WIRES.
In this shadow, silent and fatal, Lu-
dendorff works Here from the obscurIty
he manipulates the rods which hit the
Teuton Cieneralissimo like puppet, here
and there. placing him al banquets, at
the Imperial Councils, and on the front
with the troops Meanwhile, IN his own
solitary and closed office he bends over
maps, logarithmlc tables, makes his cal
cuIations, and solves his problems. lie
nlavs his game of chess against an au-
tonlaton OF his own fabrication. He at
tempts to change destiny. Such is the
game plaved BY this redouhtablc and
consuming man who tries TO observe the
end before the end comes, who desplseS
the noise of acclaim and the uselessnesS
OF glory.
The nature of his war game is unique.
l. Is IRONY set in motion To vanquish
his enemy by sheer brute force appears
to him 10 be an inferior and easy con
ception-good enough for his general In
chief and his sovereign. And with that
these two are satisfied, and IN his heart
he desplses them Tor It
For him the interesting, the important
thing. is to fool his adversary, TO abuse
him. to set traps for him-the more sclen-
tific the better-into which, carried by his
own. stupid enthusiasm, creduhty or hu-
planitv even, he Is almost certain TO tall-
And this does not by any means, apply
to military strategy alone, Austerhtz
and Auerstadt were evidently good
strokes OF strategy, but they do not pro-
woke laughter or even smile.
They are not sufficient for Ludendorff,
who wishes to amuse himself at his enc
mv's expense No, Ludendorff IS the COM
plete garnester, who knows and utlllzes
his every chance and who, with the same
brain with which he conducts military
strategy and sheds bloods, concelves and
manipulates diplomatic strategy and mo-
ra!e and spreads lies and the poison OF
words.
HOW HE Sims.
Herein we have the curious character
istic OF this soldier, to whom all things
are useful Espionage, the anarchist
rrona nacanda in the West, millions ladled
from banks, hbels and treasons, paclfist
literature. missions for the most corrupt
men and the most alluring women, ultra
patriotic enthusiasm, ferment, dlstrac-
ton, and rupture among neutrals, all
have emanated from the brain OF Luden-
dorff. and hither their results are all re-
turned and registered.
For him the affair of the Isonzo was
not merely battle OF shock, 1t com
prised in1rigues, betrayals, forgerles, false
orders of the day, and every other vile
thing which was necessary 10 bring about
the desired object
Thanks TO the Russia Of Lenine, Lu-
dendorff, relieved Of half his cares, Is
now working on the western front. Here
he has consecrated all his dlabolical
genius. Let us not imagine that his attack
is only made with many men and many
r1,ns. 1t will be, il is already, the full
power of his versatile, inventive energy
working against human frailties. 1t does
not reveal itself merely over so many
kiloneters OF front--that would be too
simple.
1t is In Spain, where are gathered the
bocbes driven from Central and South
America; it it is in paclfist journals and
the Gerrnanophile procllvItles Of what
seems rse contrary; 1t Is IN the little ter
rorized nations of the north and It Is also
In France, here in obscure Laboratories
of scandal, where NJ. Clernenceau has not
had time to clean or to illuminate.
OF all these complicated and number
less Vaccinations, Ludendorff Is, with his
supreme power for evil, the unique and
secret inventor and director.
It was he who planned the deliverance
of Eastern Prussia it was he who or
ganized the campaign IN Galcia; it was
he who maneuvered the pncers which
crushed Serbia and then Rumania; it
was he who. with the aid Of a million
lies as we'll as cannon shots, annihilated
Russia: it was he who conceived, planned
and executed the catastrophe on the Ital-
ian front.
We are now going to see what he IS
worth in France So far in Picardy he is
hardly living up TO his achievements
gained elsewhere.
BIG INCREASE IN PUMPAGE.
The water pumpage last week, 122,-
527, ,320 gallons, was 1850 740 gallons