The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-05-16
How the Censorship Hid or Faisi-
fled Facts Is Told Ia
Pamphlet.
TRUTH KEPT FROM PApERs
Never Any offleial Admission ef
Marne Deseat---strikes and Food
Ills Kept secret---Anasric&'a Fssi@
tIpn ~ Neutral Distorted.

ily AMd NA&G&A6 vi 1EA x2AA&A tsEf G1ss1
per censorship. which for more than
four years filled To,0O0. 900 people with
the hope OF an impossible victory, hid
from them the news of defeats, and st
last contributed to the downfall OF the
structure Of pretense Ii had raised are
brought out In a remarkable pamphlet
EsaId to have been inspired BY Dr, Will
/ helm Muehlon, formerly director OK
the Krupp works whose expose of
Germany In 1918 as the real instiga.
tor OF the war sent him into voluntary
Iexile In Switzerland.
| The pamphlet. entitled. "How Ws
Were Lied TO-" is published 0stensi-
lhly, under the name of Kurt Muehsam.
Ea former Austro-German war c0rra-
| spondent. 1t Is filled With instances
Of military dupiicity, showing the ef-
forts that were made to conceal FROM
the German people everything OF dis
couraging nature that bad To do VITA
| the war.
| Newspaper editors, according TO the
| document, were forbidden, under dire
penalties. to discuss any subject re-
liating to the war without the approval
of hundreds of government censors,
Operating through Fl newspaper bu-
reaus and various branches of the gov.
lernment. The Isnsitania sinking and
the submarine controversy with the
United States were so maneuvered 10
the press that for months the people
were led to believe that the negotia-
ions were taking "a course very ia
gorablc to US"
i NeWs Very Carefully Filtered.
/ Only such news was published as
the milifarists thought would favor.
ably affect public opinion, and to carry
ont this purpose. the pamphlet points
Tout, all kinds Of falsities were en-
lployed.
Secretary Lansing, for instance, vas
reported as III and on the verge OF
iipaving Office. hopeless breach was
also said TO have arisen. between the
| secretary of state and President VIII
son.
i Doctor Muehlom, VITO, In earlier rev4
elations accused the then Emperor
William Of having issued the order
take no prisoRers." points out the
fact that not once In all of the Ger
man war reports can be found any ad-
mission that the first battle Of the
Marne was German defeat. The
only thing that the German high corn.
mand was able 10 report about that
Ireverse was disguised In these words: !:
lin the western tfaeafer Of war the
operations, details OF which cannot
vet be published, have led TO q new
battle which Is developing favorably.
Reports spread by tbs enemy unfavor-
able to us are falge."
The former head of the munition
plant at Essen, who possessed conn
q plete lnforMafion aB 10 the operations
OF the military authorities, sald that
ssthere was hardly day during all
the long war when the editorial Offices
Of the German daily press were mol
'honored' by the receipt OF contiden.
| tiai communications. orders and pro
hibltions from the censorship anfi0rl'
ties, calculated to limit free expires.
! sion OF opinion on fhe most vital auea
tions and ultimately TO throttle IT,
Mustn't Say "Ruthlsas u-Roat WAR;
The Germans, for instance, wers
never to be charged with conducting
a ruthless" U-boat war. but rather
an ssunlimited' or "boundless" war
Descriptions OF devastation In Francs
and Belgium were forbidden and al
references to barbarism and wanfor
destruction were taboo, With the sig
nificant expression, .vfhe army knows
when TO use force and when TO bs
mild" Details of the closing 0f fac
tories. coal and fond shortages, paoI
! crops and the employment OF prisoner
| OF war In mines and munltion plant:
were suppressed. as were also reports
OF street disorders, unrest amt strikes
/ 1t must be understood. writes Dec
tor MuehoYiss coliaDorat0r, that aIi IN
censorship regulations under Whicl
! The newspapers were operating wer'
/ Inngnown TO the people. The distos
I fion of facts was thus made engy to
] every editor. He was encouraged T
1 saw that, Notwithstanding that tlie a
/ lies were sinking German submarine
as fast az they eeufd be built, ''fh
number OF new German U-boats IL fou
| times greater than the losses. IN
] JIsumbersible feet nus grown extraord
4 narily during the war. The press !
: to picture the submarine warfare 80
m means of shortening the stsnggie ~
n mot Az measure Of retaliation Or
b Iweapon to slarye our foes
M Falslfsed All Facts Abeas us.
M After months of deception In tryin
# to convince tlle people that Americ
~ would never enter the war. assert
n the Krupp director, when presider
M Wilson sent llis ultlmaFum the Gei
n man press readily executed an "ahoa
M lfacea and endeayored 10 nllnimfge 70
United states as pcsssbIe asave
81 sary.
M EVEN after tine United Sgafes ha
" handed more thaa f,5g0.00@ sasa
Il Bsancs Dsesar AfusAlaB sa0ws y
r.