Evening star., 1919-03-14
DECORATIONS GIVEN
HELP PROPAGANDA
Some Other Methods Also
Used in Europe While Ma
tionS Clash.
GERMAN CRAFT OUTDONE
GERMAN CRAFT 0UTD0NE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
(This is the seventh of a series OF
articles by Mr., Lawrence, who at
tended the peace conference at Paris)
OF all the evils which have survived
The war. none is so insidious in its
poisonous effects on public opinion
around the world as propaganda or
censorship. Germany may have been
the master of this art. but other gov
ernments are preparing to go her one
better. One finds in England. for ex-
ample, propaganda attacking the
United States, which IS attributable to
certain French sources which are
most prominent in the French press
in their denunciation OF American
proposals. Certain Italians have con-
Quoted steadily a propaganda for ter
ritorial claims. Propaganda is being
fed into the small countries of central
and southern Europe whose terrific
rial status is in doubt. In some cases
it has been found that one of our
allies held up food shipments to GER
tain populations and gave it to Others
accompanied by a propaganda to in
huence their political action.
Methods of Bureaus.
Propaganda bureaus, known to the
public in America. however. as bu-
reauS OF education or committees on
public information. are conducted by
most OF the allied governments in diff
1erent parts of the world. Some OF the
chiefs of these propaganda bureaus
deem 1t their duty to write letters to
; the newspapers which happen to print
articles rejecting upon their govern
ments and to assail those articles
even though they are presenting the
truth and the propagandists know it.
Ihelr instructions are to attack any
thing or everything. If they do not
directly refute these articles, they
usually prevail upon some Americans
Or other nationals to do So
Paris is full of propagandists. and
they are very insidious. Frequently
they work their purposes through So
cial attention or the f1attery Of Tor
Is the title famliarly given by Amer
leans to those Of their countrymen
who always find something wrong
with what the United tSates govern
ment is proposing and everything
right in the objections of foreign
| governments.
| While it is true that many Ameri-
| cans who have received decorations
from European governments have not
had their perspective affected, there
are those who suddenly become about
so per cent Americans thereafter.
This, of course, has no reference to
the decorations given for valor in
battle, but applies to those who come
sorts and are promptly given dec
y orations by foreign governments,
whereupon they are not as stanch
advocates of the American point of
view as they were before.
Denounced and Defended.
I have heard this sort of "propa-
ganda by decoration both denounced
: and defended. The defenders declare
. that the honor bestowed by the for
eign government is usually in recog-
| milton of a breadth of view by the re-
cipient-his Willingness to subordi-
nate an intense nationalism to a de-
ably. many decorations have been
| given for this purpose, and unques-
tionably many men have disregarded
these gifts and stood up for Amer
ica's cause. irrespective of the hon
ors bestowed upon them, but it is
nevertheless interesting to note the
number of men who let it be known
when approached that they would
rather not accept decorations, and it
is interesting occasionally to note
| also the effect which it has upon
! those who receive these honors from
a foreign government.
Propaganda through the press how
ever, is the principal weapon of for
! eign governments. 1t is so much in
evidence in Europe with certain types
OF newspapers that writers on such
| publications are known to have in
their possession confidential docu-
ments or their governments negotia-
tIons with other governments in Or
Ger that they might reflect the point
or view desired by the cabinet
| In France, where censorship is
| maintained. the government papers
! have access to the governments point
of view. as well as much important
information. and the twist or slant
on the news sought by the powers
i that be is usually given to such news
on Its first publication. Any violent
disagreement with the governments
] point of view is liable to be sup
| pressed. A censorship is maintained
in Paris over all outgoing dispatches
written by CORRESPONDENTS at the
government stoutly maintains that
the messages are not interfered with.
nevertheless the French eensors must
stamp every article before it is per-
mitted to leave Paris, and there is no
way of telling how much damage
censor does to dispatch by reading
. it and rereading it until the timeli-
ness or the message is partially de-
stroyed.
Access to Censors Denied.
Access to the French censors is
denied. American correspondents are
l somewhat at a disadvantage in this
because the italian newspaper men,
for instance. have a special telegraph
line given them by the Italian gov
ernment. which leases it from the
French. Thus the Italian correspond
ents. who. however. must submit their
manuscripts to an Italian censor. are
able to transmit their articles direct
ly from Paris to Rome without hav-
ing their messages read by any rep
resentative of a foreign government
Similarly. many of the British cor
respondents are able to use some Of
the wires leased by the British gov
eminent from Paris to London.
The American mission alone has
ia He'd to guarantee absolutely untram-
melled communication with the United
States. and to add to the difficulties Of
American correspondents a represent
| a n n mi tnkn