New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1919-02-01

frame of mind that they wou!c
readily fulfill any demand mad
or them by the Entente. includ
lnc the demand for my head or m,
Felson.
| IF | were alone and nobod,
els" was concerned | could tell ;
lwhole lot of things. But i mus
be loyal to my father, mustn t |
At heart l still feel like a Prus
sian officer and regard my fathel
as my Highest War Lord. -
The ex-prince asserted that h,
had no hand or voice in startln.
the war. He had been continual
ly squelched, not allowed to hav,
anything to say in the mperia
councils and he had been repeat
edly told to mind his own business
When | asked how he explained
the worlds opinion that he was
one Of the principal moving fig
ures in precipitating the war, he
answered: "Because 7 was a..
ways in favor Of strong army
King Edward s 'Einkeisungspoi
tik' was the real beginning of the
war. He told me-not once bul
several times - that Britain
couldn't put up with Germany 5
tremendous economic and com
mercial development and that he
intended to isolate Germany and
squeeze Germany hard.
King Edward didn't like my
father, but for some reason he
liked me very much. He used to
call me Willie, dear and talked
freely and frankly to me.
81 was at the seashore with my
family. playing tennis, flirting
and indulging in the other usual
summer pastimes when the news
of the murder of the Archduke
Francis Ferdinand came. | knew
at once that meant world war.
Unlike maly others, | knew that
England would come in. / knew
the British character too well TO
misjudge them.
After the first battle of the
Marine I steadfastly worked for
peace. but was baked by a mill
itary clique.
Ludendorf The Power.
"Ludendorff was the driving
power Of the war and as such
principally responsible for its
prolongation.
"Before our great offensive re-
acted in March, I knew we could
not win. And my Bavarian cou-
sin prince Rupprecht) held the
identical views that I did.
"The highest leadership closed
its eyes and ears to everything un. !
pleasant and believed only what
it wanted to believe. The highest
leadership went badly wrong
about America. for instance. It'll
refused to believe that there Was
! large American force in France,
and pooh-poohed every report to
hat effect.
"Before our offensive at Rheims
n July I reported to great head
quarters, on the basis of the re-
ports of the intelligence officers
# my army group, that there were
orty American divisions in!
'ranceI Great headquarters sent !
Jack the answer to me:
" Nonsense. Impossible. There =,
re only fourteen American d. h
isions in France, and five OF /,
bese are no good and cant fight.' ,
In the same way the highest.
fadership closed it's eyes to the t
NTH about our troops. I'll
listen when / reported
hat my divisions were worn out,
red, used up, cut up. must be
rawn ont of the line. At great
eadquarters they didn't want to
now the truth. Some of my di-
isions were reduced to 600 and
DO rifles. Think of that! And
was ordered tn keen them in
ne!
Neither my father nor / would
7er have given orders to sink
le Lusitania, knowing that there
ere women and children aboard.
y father and / are gentlemen,
ter ALL"
I asked the ex-prince why be
# his troops and fled to Hol-