The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-04-24
How the Censorship Hid or FaIsl'
fled Facts Is Told in
Pamphlet.
TRUTH kept from PAPERS
Never Any Official Admission OF
Marne Defeat-Strikes and Food
siis Kept Secret-America's POSI-
ton as Neutral Distorted.

sty and cunning" of German neWspa-
per censorship, which for more than
four years filled 100000 people with
the hope Of an impossible victory, hid
from them the news Of defeats. and at
last contributed to the downfall Of the
structure Of pretenSe 1t had raised are
Brought out in remarkable pamphlet
said to have been Inspired by DR.. VIII
helm Muehlon, formerly director OF
the Krupp works, whose expose OF
Germany in 1918 as the real instiga-
tor of the war sent him into voluntary
exile In Switzerland.
The pamphlet, entitled, How We
Were Lied TO-" is published ostensi-
bly under the name Of Kurt Muehsam,
former Austro-German war CORE
spondent. 1t Is filled with instances
of military dupitcity, showing the eff
forts that were made to conceal from
the German people everything Of a dis
couraging nature that had to do with
the war.
Newspaper editors, according to the
document, were forbidden, under dire
penalties, to discuss any subject re-
Eating to the war without the approval
Of hundreds Of government censors.
operating through 81 newspaper bu-
rsaus and various branches Of the gov
trnment. The Lusitania sinking and
the submarine controversy with the
United States were so Unanswered In
the press that for months the people
were led to believe that the negotia-
lions were taking "a course very fa-
yorahle to u.s."
, News Very Carefully Filtered.
Only such news was published as
the militarists thought would favor
ably affect public opinion, and to carry
out this purpose, the pamphlet points
ost, all kinds of falsities were en-
ployed.
Secretary Lansing, for instance, was
reported as Ill and on the verge Of
leaving office. A hopeless breach was
also said to have arisen between the
secretary of state and President Will
sen.
Doctor Muehlon. who, in earlier rev.
Citations accused the then Emperor
William Of having issued the order
take no prisoners" points out the
TACT that not once in all Of the Ger
man war reports can be found any nd
mission that the FIRST battle Of the
Marne was q German defeat. The
only thing that the German high COM
mand was able to report about that
reverse was disguised in these words:
"In the western theater Of war the
operations. details OF which cannot
yet be published. have led to new
battle which Is developing favorably.
Reports spread ny the enemy unfavor
able to us are false"
The former head Of the munition
plant at Essen. who possessed COM
plete Information as to the operations
sf the military authorities, said that
there was Hardly u day during all
The long war when the editorial offices
of the German daily press were not
'honored' by the receipt Of contiden-
tia! co1nmunica ions, orders and pro-
additions from the censorship authori-
ues. calculated to limit free express
sion Of opinion on the most vital ques
lions and ultimately to throttle It,"
Mustn't Say "Ruthiess U-eoat War;"
{ The Germans, for instance, were
never to be charged with conducting
a ruthless" U-boat war. but rather
ar, UNLIMITED" or "bOundless" war
Descriptions of devastation In France
and Belgium were forbidden and all
references to barbarism and wanton
destruction were taboo, with the sig
nifcant expression, "The army knows
wiien to use force and when to be
mild" Details Of the closing of fac
tories, coal and food shortages. poor
crops and the employment Of prisoners
of war In mines and munition plants
we're suppressed. as were also reports
Of street disorders, unrest and strikes.
1t must be understood, writes Doc
sor Muehlon's collaborator. that all the
censorship regulations under when
the newspapers were operating were
unknown to the people. The distor-
acn Of facts was thus made easy for
every editor. He was encouraged to
say that, Notwithstanding that the al
lies were sinking German submarines
rs fast as they could be built, the
aumber Of new German U-boats Is four
aimes greater than the losses. Our
supbersible fleet has grown extraordi-
nsrily during the war. The press Is
% picture the submarine warfare as
means of shortening the struggle and
NOT as a measure Of retaliation or q
weapon to starve our foes
After months Of deception in trying
70 convince the people that America
would never enter the war, asserts
the Krupp director. when President
Wilson sent his ultlmatum the Ger
MAN press readily executed an "abou'
ssce" and endeavored to minimize the
United States as possible adver
sary.
Even after the United States hat
landed more than 100000 men II
France Doctor Muehlon shows tn