The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-04-10
GERMAN CENSORS
ALWAYS STUPID
NEWS CAREFULLY KEPT FROM
PEOPLE.
How We Were Lied To
Pamphlet Issued Under Name of Kurt
MuehSam, Former Austro-Ger-
man War Correspondent.

sorship which for more than four
years obsessed 7O,oO0,OOo people with
the hope of an impossible victory,
hid from them the news of Prussian
defeats and at last contributed to the
downfall of the structure of pretence
it had raised, are brought out here
in a remarkable pamphlet said to
have been inspired by DR.. Wilhelm
Muehlon, formerly director of the
Krupp works, whose expose of Ger
many in 1918 as the real instigator
of the war sent him into voluntary
exile in Switzerland.
The pamphlet entitled Glow We
Were Lied TO-" is published ostensi-
bly, under the name of Kurt Hueh-
sam. a former Austro-German war
correspondent. 1t is filled with in
stances of military duplicity, showing
the efforts that were made to conceal
from the German people everything
of a discouraging nature that had to
do with the war.
Newspaper editors, according to
the document, were forbidden under
dire penalties to discuss any subject
relating to the war without the ap-
proval of hundreds of government
of the government. The Lusitania
censors operating through 21 news
paper bureaus and various branches
sinking and the submarine contro-
very with the United States was so
skillfully maneuvered in the press
that for many months the people
were led to believe that the negotia-
tions were taking "a course very fa-
vorable to u.s.
Lansing in News.
Only such news was published as
the militarists thought would favora-
bly, affect public opinion and to carry
out this purpose, the pamphlet points
out, all kinds of falsities were en-
ployed. Secretary Lansing, for in
stance, was reported as being ill and
on the verge of leaving office. A hope
less breach was also said to have
arisen between the American secreta-
ry of state and President Wilson.
These items appearing in all of the
German papers and bearing the ap-
parent sanction of the authorities
were readily believed by the popu-
lace.
DR.. Muehlon, who in his earlier
revelations accused the then. Emper-
or William of having issued the or
der |stake no more prisoners" points
out the astonishing fact that not once
in all of the German war reports can
be found any admission that the first
battle of the Marne was German de-
feat. The only thing that the Ger
man high command was able to re-
port about that terrible reverse was
disguised in the words: "In the West
ern theater of the war the operations,
details of which can not yet be pub
lished, have led to new battle which
is developing favorable. Reports
spread by the enemy unfavorable to
us are false"
The former head of the great mu-
milton plant at Essen, who possessed
complete information as to the oper-
actions of the military authorities
here. declared that there was hard
" a day during all the long war when
the editorial offices Of the German
daily press were not 'honoref by the
receipt of confidential communica-
tions, orders and prohibitions from
the censorship authorities, calculated
to limit free expression of opinion on
the most vital questions and ultl-
mately to throttle it."
The Germans, for instance, were
never to be charged with conducting
a ruthless u-boat war but rather
an unlimited" or ''boundless" war.
Descriptions of devastation in France
and Belgium were forbidden and all
reference to barbarism and Wanton
destruction were taboo, with the sig
nifcant expression: "The army knows
when to use force and to be mild. -
Details of the closing down of facto-
tories, coal and food shortages, poor
crops and the employment of prison
ers of wars in mines and munltlon
plants were suppressed as were also
reports of street disorders, unrest
and strikes.
Strength of Sultan.
Referring to the time when hun