New-York tribune., 1919-01-18
Confidential Reports From
]. ]. Dickinson Recorded
at Propaganda Inquiry
Letters Sent 10 Viereck
Former Member Of Censors $
Staff Says He Did Work
for Political Reas S
New York Tribune
Va SHIN atom Bureau

WASHINGTON. Jan IA score of
confidential reports to George Sylvester
Viereck and Dr.. X. A. Fuehr, by Major
J. J. Dickinson, a Washington news
paper man, under the nameof Josiah
Wingate, on conditions and policies as
they were being formulated here, were
put before the Overman propaganda
investigating committee to-day. They
contain startling analyses of the cam
paign of 1916, indicating general in
sincerity in the position of the Demo
cratic party onthc hyphenatc and vo-
lent attacks on the Presidents policies
toward Mexico, Germany and Great
Britain.
Dickinson, who has had long ac-
quaintance with public men in Wash
ington. appeared voluntarily to clear
himself of the charge that he had acted
as q spy for the Germans here. He
admitted writing the letters and identi~
ned them, and he admitted that he was
paid for them, but he denied that he
had confidential sources of information,
and asserted he did the work for
political purpose, and in The interests
of peace
montana Farmers MiSleU
J. N. Kennedy, of Montana, told the
committee that workers sent into that
state in 1915 and 1916 by the United
States Brewers Association had made
such violent pro- German, anti-Ad-
lrinistraton campaign that he had
broken with them. They frequently
lost sight entirely of the prohibition
issuc, he said. Associated more or
less with them, he said, were workers
Tor the Socialists, |. w. w. and Farm
ers' Protective League. The latter or
2anization he described as being made
up of mon misled by vicious and some
times criminal leaders. He said the
movement. was a menace to the safety
and order C the state and described
a meeting oe the members with So
ciahsts and others rs regular Boil
shevst picnic"
lar interest because Captain G. B. Les
ter, of the Military Intelligence Di-
vision, when he first told of them be-
fore the committee, said they often
had correct information. "The curious
thing about the letters is this" he said.
"Thcy gave accurate information of
happenings in Cabinet or governmental
circles. The letters have all been
c.-eckcd up against subsequent events,
and it is quite obvious that in certain
cases information was obtained from
SINE source or other"
Dickinson's Discharge Urged
The Germans, Captain Lester added,
took these reports seriously and trans
mitted them promptly to men higher
up. The letters were written to Vierick,
but were found in DR., Fuehr's files.
Major Dickinson, who for some
months was in the army censors Office,
presented letter from General Nc
lntyre, then chief of that bureau,
stating fhat the facts had been in
vestigated and he had advised against
action on them. He also said that
General Churchill, head of the Military
Intelligence Division, mad given him
clean bill Of health. To refute that
statement there was put into the rec
ord General Churchill's report to the
chief of staff on the case, one para
graph of which reads:
THE Military Intelligence Division
is of the opinion that Dickinson should
be discharged from the service bv. di-
rection OF the President, under the
provision of Bulletin 32 1t is not
deemed to be to the best interests of
the service to bring Dickinson to trial
Tor these offenses. Although the evil
dence IS clear and conclusive the pro-
duction of it before court martial
would be detrimental to work being
performed by the Military intelligence
Division"
This report was dated October 1s,
1918. Dickinson resgned about the
middle of November.
Major Dickinson-he held that rank