Evening journal., 1919-01-23

I
! pied Germany
One may well ask II Il can be true
that during the Kaleidoscope changes
IN the German government the old
propaganda machine has kept going In
The same old way. One may well ask II
! Il can be truo that the German propa-
gandists are working every day among
! the allied soldiers IN occupied Ger
| things are true.
The German plan today Is 10 drive a
wedge between the French and Amerl-
cans. There is not the slightest doubt
that there Is a well-organlzed campaign
FOR this end.
The aim Is not only 60 affect the de-
clslOns OF the peace conference, but
also q bigger aim 10 drive q perma-
nent wedge between the two natlons
II one seeks the reason for this he
may turn 10 Marshal Foch's question
asked OF the American war correspon-
dents this week as to who could say
that IN a few years Germany would not
try TO crush France again. The mar
shal remarked that America was far
away.
Fussing ct Each Other.
Except by the influence Of this con-
tinued German propaganda II would be
very dihlcult TO explain just why sol
diers who for six months fought side
by side are now fussing at one an
other.
Neither poilu nor doughboy seems
able to tell just why he gets 50 easily
annoyed at the other. The poilu seems
unable TO tell just why often he does
resist the temptation TO ask an Ameri-
can, now that the war Is over, why he
does not go home. And the doughboy
does not take the trouble to analyze
the reason why he now sometimes
speaks harshly Of the poilu whom he
admired so much In lighting days.
These differences would grow mostly
between doughboys and poilus who un-
derstood each others conversation, and
this ts not true Of the majority Of either
army And these little things do not
explain why Americans and Frenchmen
should be In such a frame Of mind to
ward one another.
The Germans are trying TO put more
than three thousand miles Of ocean be-
tween France and America. They are
trying TO make the American soldiers
anti-French propagandists when they
get home so that If war ever started
again between. France and Germany,
Amenica would not jump to the aid Of
her present ally.
To those IN America who would call
this a far-fetched dream, it may be
set forth that examination Of the let
ters home OF American soldiers has
caused very serious concern.
During the war DR.. Rentzau Of Berlin
was stationed in Copenhagen, and from
there conducted a propaganda cam
paign. Dr.. Rentzau today has an office
in Wilhelmstrasse. Propaganda work
is still his task.
There are many In America who will
remember "a suave gentleman named
Dr. Ahrens. The former chief Of the
Secret Service, Flynn, remembers him.
He was Bernstorffs right-hand man in
a lot Of propaganda work. Ilast saw
him in New London, where he receiv-
ed from Captain koenig some secret
documents which the undersea trader !
Deutschland brought to America.
Ahrens in Same Building.
DR.. Ahrens today has an ofilce in VIII !
helmstrasse dn the same building as DR.. |
Rentzau. He is still engaged in propa- |
ganda, and his field IS still the Ameri- |
can mind He has charge Of propagan- /
da among the American soldiers in Oc-
cupied Germany.
There is another official who has
charge Of propaganda among the
French soldiers in occupied Germany.
One naturally asks how this propa
ganda works, and that brings us back
to the little differences between the
and poilu, which of them
selves have amounted to nothing, but
which, famed by the Germans, are TO
day OF different proportions.
America has been told how well the
Germans received the American Army /
Of Occupation and how well they have
behaved When one goes back to two
weeks before the Americans entered
one finds that their local
showed that expressions
were general that it would be very un-
fortunate If the Americans occupied
Coblenz ,or Treves.
As soon as the armistce terms were
announced, there were on all sides ex-
pressions Of hope that either the
French or British would come here, but
deliver us from the Americans" Had
not the propagandists told the GermanI
people that the Americans were bar
barians, that they killed all their pris-
oners and showed no quarter on bat
tlenelds, and were altogether swine and
a tough LOTT
But the German mind has always
been open to the propagandists. Along
came the retiring German army. The
officers preached night and day TO the
Germans 10 be pleasant 10 the Ameri-
cans. They must tell the Americans
that America won the war. They must :
tell the Americans that Wilson was the /
greatest man In the world. They must {
''play up to" the Americans.
People DO As They Are Told.
And as It was theirs not TO reason
why, the German people hereabouts did
as they were told. The idea Of the {
propagandlsts was that ]
Americas influence at the peace con- \
ference would pull them out Of the ]
hole into which they had got
So from the day Of the Americans ar
rival IN Germany the Germans have !
been subsequently kind TO them. Now, {
human nature Is human nature the
world over. The Americans found the /
we'll behaved and acqules- {
cent, and they adopted a policy Of
moderation and were easy with the I
Germans. 9
Often the douehboy. without bear.