Evening star., 1919-11-06
GERMAN ARMY CHIEFS IN 1916
SAW ONLY DEFEAT BY LAND
Decided Diplomacy Alone Could Win War;
Mr.. Gerard Quoted as Promising
to Try to Stop Friction.

| President Wilson thought the entente
would like an offer from him better
than one from Germany.
| DR.. mmermann said that he knew
the Wilson peace offer would be taken
in a most unfriendly spirit by the
people, but that German peace offer
would convince the world of the
weakness of Germany and would be
| considered evidence that Germany did
not want America to offer peace.
When asked If Germany had made
the peace overtures to eliminate the
possibility of an offer from President
Wilson. Dr. Zimmerman evaded an
answer, but when pressed he declared
, that it was a tactical maneuver. He
had not told the German press about
| President Wilson's offer. as he had no
| call to take President Wilson's part
| with the press.
| lister of the interior. asked whether
| the peace offer of President Wilson
or that of Germany was to be pre-
| ferred. The former foreign secretary
| replied that he held to the standpoint
| that the offer would come better from
overture would look like weakness on
| the part of Germany and that of Pres
| ident Wilson could be refused more
easily. Zimmerman complained that
President Wilson was prejudiced
against Germany.
Gives Evasive Answer.
| The former foreign secretary again
| evaded a direct answer when he was
asked If he had said when America
entered the war: Thank God. we are
rid of these people as peace medi-
ators."
| He said that Germany knew that
| America would break off diplomatic
relations and enter the war, but that
i,,ro VAl
| in on the unrestricted submarine war
fare as a last chance to gain the
victory.
Questions regarding Belgian depor-
! tations brought out warm support
from DR.. Won Bethmann Hollweg for
| ernor general of Belgium. who, he
said, had opposed the deportations.
| The former chancellor told how Am
| bassador Gerard had urged him to
have the deportation stopped. but
they had continued, he said. despite
his objections. He was not in a po-
sition to stop them. although he
thought them politically stupid. but
the policy had been introduced by the
d, military as an urgent political ne
| cessity.
! Gov. Gen. Won Kissing. said Beth
mann Hollweg, had taken up the mat
ter personally with Hindenburg and
Ludendorf and had obtained certain
| aIleviations in the mode of applying
| the deportation policy, but in general
| he was unable to force a change in
the policy. as the military authorities
| declared that they had need of labor.
Lack of Unity Criticised.
To criticism to the effect that the
foreign Office and the general STAFF had
not worked well together during the
| war, Bethmann Hollweg declared that
Ethis dualism was always in effect
during the Austro-Prussian war of
| 1856 and the Franco-Prussian war of
1870 and that both sides of the gov
ernmental machinery had on these
occasions believed that their way was
| the best way to save the fatherland.
Taking up again the question of
Belgian deportation, he replied affirm
atively to a question asking whether
from cold and hunger and whether
! they had not been used for work for
which they had not qualified. The
former chancellor gave information
about the censorship which he applied
! to the addresses of the emperor to
bodies of troops on the eastern and
western fronts He showed his resent
| ment at the conclusion of the hearing
! at questions regarding breaches of
| international law by Germany, declar-
! ing: why always talk of our
| breaches of international law when
we were at war with a peace-break-
ing people?'
upon the table as he answered the
questions.
The hearing will be resumed to-
morrow, when Admiral Koch. formerly
vice chief of the naval general stan,
| will take the stand.