Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-20


l learned from discussions which
had with leading men that there was
still, even during the war, considera.
BILE ignorance as to the real necessity
! of a propaganda possessed of living
| ideas and capable of selling the pop
ular imagination The attitude of the
government was lukewarm and doubt
ing. They did not yet understand the
essense of the matter.
| They were opposed to propaganda
on the ground that il was too like
! quack advertising, whereas true prop
| uganda essentially secures that its ac-
| tivities are not observed; it works
silently. Doubtless because they
knew their own weakness, the gov
| eminent thought that any wide and
powerful counter organization on our
part against the Gaemy propaganda
would be more or less a hopeless IN
dertaking. This point of Vi wv, or the
remark: "Our cause is good, we
need no advocate" could not help
us; we had every reason to take ac
| ton, not merely expressly to defend
ourselves, but also to move from de-
Tense to attack. Only so could we
| treat our enemy as he treated us, and
hold our own in the mighty world
war.
Sets Up An Organization.
When | came to CHIC. l found
| only very scanty arrangements, hard
! Iy deserving of the name of propa-
ganda organization.
In the summer of 1916 CHIC. had
requested the government to establish
a strong propaganda organization.
After many obstacles had been over
come, especially in connection with
the foreign office, the military office
of this department was set up.
Side by side with this office, which
was set up for purely military pur-
poses, the foreign office took up the
question of the establishment of SINH
lar bodies for political and economic
propaganda. 1t was only on this un-
derstanding that the chief of the gen.
eral staff in the field had founded
the military office.
All the three bodies were on similar
lines, laid down by the foreign office,
TO carry on wide and energetic coun-
ter-propaganda, not merely contenting
themselves with weak defenses to the
enemy's lines, but attacking the enc
my propaganda, The political and
economic propaganda service of the
foreign office was unfortunately con-
fined to a press and pamphlet serv-
Ice, which was mainly devoted to in
fluenCing the press by means of de-
malls, discussions Of political events,
and exposures of enemy weaknesses.
1t was like dropping water on hot
stone, and was not of the least i'm
nCrtahce.
Went After the Neutrals.
In the military department of the
foreign office Colonel Won Haeften
gradually built up a large organiza-
ton. This was under CHIC, but was
in the main financed by the foreign
office, who received in return the
right of joint control and of debating
lines of policy, rights of which it
made virtually no use.
Colonel Won Haeften is an officer of
unusually high intelligence ana OF
burning patriotism. who undertakes
every task with energy born of his
idealism. and who possesses the gift
of constructive work and of carrying
his fellows with him. What has been
achieved is in all essentials the work
of himself and his colleagues.
BY word and picture, and. above
all, by means of the cinematograph,
Colonel Won Haeften sought to obtain
a secure footing in neutral countries
Oral propaganda was held to be of
the utmost Importance. The passing
of news from mouth to mouth is the
best, because it is the most danger
Gus means of propaganda. The idea
is planted, and no man knows whence
it came.
Propaganda by pictures and film
was encouraged by the formation of a
special graphic department, the pic
ture and film office" and later of the
Universal Film company, Limited.
The film is a means of poplar edu-
cation, and Colonel Won Haeften de-
sired to employ it as such after the
war, his war organization being de-
signed to that end. Pictures and films
and illustrations in poster form pene-
trate more and have stronger effect
than writing, and thus have a greater
influence on the broad masses of the
people
Embassies Push the Work.
At the same time press propaganda
was carried on by Geographic. wire
less and correspondence service, other
with pamphlets and lee
lures, and work was also done in con-
rection with the neutral war press
camp. Above all, Colonel Won Haeften |
sought by quick news distribution to
find the way into the hostile portions
of the neutral press.
Art propaganda was also encourag-
ed. Here we perhaps did too much.
The foreign office attached great i'm
portance to this. having indeed taken
it up some time earlier.
At our embassies abroad and in
neutral countries, and also in the oc-
cupied districts in the east. branch
propaganda offices were es-
Iablished as organs of Colonel Won
Haeften. working up, with an eye to
The special circumstances of the coun-
try, the material supplied from the
central organization, and then distrib-
lting it. They worked in the closest
,ouch with the ambassador.
1t was often impossible that Colonel
Won Haeften alone could succeed in
up all the ground that we
1ad lost in the long years before and
after the outbreak of war; and in
lighting on equal terms against the
opinion commanded by it In the neu-
raj countries, let alone in penetrating
nto the enemy countries themselves.
The insuiar position of England andI
america made this impossible. The
ines of attack on France lay through
spain and Switzerland From Spain
We were cut off. and there was moth
ng left but the narrow Swiss frontier,
IS was the case with Italy also.
No Real Effect on Peoples.
The German propaganda only kept
IN its feet with difficulty; in spite of
ii its trouble its achievements, in
COMPARISON to its mighty task. were
Insufficient. We wrought no real ef-
ect on the enemy peoples. Amongl
hem was strong government, de-
and with its heart in the