The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-03
Message, Found in Berlin,
Told of Intention to Seize
Adjoining Lands.
WANTED ALL BELGIUM
Bluntly Told Michaelis Of
Intention to Grab Baltic
Provinces.
HAD EYE ON SEA COAST
Neutrality of Neighbors
"Merely Phantom, Never to
Be Realized" He Said.
HAD EYE ON SEA COAST
special Correspondence to TIE sun.

Special Correspondence to THE SUM-
BERLIN, Aug. 20.-For the first time
the real war aims of the military
caste, personified by Gen. Ludendorff,
First Quartermaster-G General, and
called the brains of the German army,
have been found in black on white,
This remarkable document has been
discovered in the archives of the For
egn Office. 1t is a letter written by
Gen. Ludendorff to DR.. Georg Mi
chaelis. then Chancellor of the Ger
man Empire. 1t was penned at time
when England was said to have put
out peace feeler by way of the vati-
can. 1t was the military castles veto
Of any peace of Cancellation the civil
government Of Germany might have
been inclined to accept at that time.
Gen. Ludendorff's letter reads as fol-
lows:
GREAT HEADQUARTERS, Sept. II, 1917.
AT our Berlin conference our and our
enemies situation was fully discussed
Still, / feel constrained to return to the
subject once more and TO put down in
writing the trend of thought then ex-
pressed. Regarding Longwy-Briey. ag-
riculture and foreign trade 1 am going
to elaborate on my verbal exposition.
Internal conditions are difficult, I am
sorry to say, according to reports of
the respective departments, as to fod-
der and coal. Difficulties as to coal,
however. are due to sins of omission
during the last few months. Our
finances are extraordinarily strained.
Action by the Reichstag's majority ode
claring for a peace without annexa-
tionsl has aggravated the domestic sit
Z uation. But all these domestic difficult
ties will have to be overcome by firm
leadership on the part of the present
Government. 1t Is possible to do this.
Had Confidence I'm Army.
Our military situation is more IA
vorable than our enemies. our alliance
is more solid. Even our domestic
troubles are not 50 grave as the En-
tente's. In spite OF all this ! think a
peace to be arrived at before winter
begins desirable from our standpoint,
provided this peace grants to us what is
absolutely necessary to secure our fu-
ture economic development and places
US in a position, militarily as well as
economically, which will permit us to
face a new war of defence with calm
ness.
THE sources of our military and eco
nomic power are. aside from our army
and navy. agriculture, riches In the
bowels Of the earth, and our industry. so
spendidly developed. Without Rumania
and the other occupied territory we
would have been In serious straits as
TO food Even counting Rumania the
food situation Is bad enough. 1t will
grow worse II later on, as is to be
feared we shall have TO feed Belgium
In addition to our own people.
Under present circumstances we
could not afford TO do that. Accord
ingy we need additional land. This
We can find only in the Baltic prov
inces, Courland and Lithuania, where
there is an abundance of fertile soil.
IN view of the attitude of the Poles
We will have to cut strip on POLAND
and add It to Lithuania, thus extending
the Lithuanian border to the south be-
yond Grodno. This would add territory
to east and west Prussia, rounding Out
the dent in the present frontier line
Whether we shall be able to attrac
the other Baltic provinces by way o.
Couriand future development will tell.
Meant to Grab Territory.
Upper Silesia will have to be pro
tected by an addition of territory. /
all the mines and mills now in enem!
hands would be liquidated and turned
over TO German owners it would facili
tate matters.
IN the west we have two great cen
IA
including the Saar region, and the In
dustrial section of the Rhineland ant
Westphalia, which is being EXTENDED
to the Belgium and Dutch frontie
gradually.
The Lorraine basin needs territorial
expansion toward the west. The large
the territorial gain the easier it vii
be to defend It, Should we retain tn
frontier as It was before the war ever.
political disturbance would affect tn
workers of the mills and mines and i'm
pede Industrial activity. Should hostili
ties ensue the mills and mines woul'
nave to shut down and they might b
Destroyed. BY adding a strip of terri
tory TO our possessions we should insur
tAe running of our mines In war time
as long as there was direct militar
protection.
we stlll would have to take int
long range artillery. Besides we sha
need strong fortifications In that regior
az we could not very well extend on
frontier to the Mouse.
The unimpaired maintenance OF on
hhenlsh- Westphalian border Is abso
Iutely essential What the Flander
coast Is TO this country In view of Eng
hnd the line OF the Mouse Is up
Liege in accentuated form to the Saa
basin.
Proposed Annexation.
4, We are bound to keep in our hand
he territory on both sides of the Meus
Gnu TO the south of st. Voth. The onl
way to bring this about would be an
eSat!on by the German Empire. S
lar ! have heard OF 40 other methot
whether there is another method rt
mains to be seen. 1t has not been foun
70 far, II seems.
Possession OF the line of the Mouse
not sufficient protection TO this industrii
%nglCn' The possible lineup of futur
niitish-French- Belgian army must b
pushed back still further. The only wa
~ accomplish this would be by attach
"s belgium to us economically 6
e9se'y that il would seek political unto
sNh Us Of its own account. This ecor
S S,ulc attachment could not be brougf