The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-26

said.
EFT tn, Bruter' I put reproach into
the question. l was really sorry. l had
hoped he would not follow the lead OF
almost every other German had heard
about.
~ understand.- he replied, "but
my motive is different from the
others. 1 am writing my book for
! the sole purpose of trying to let
| the American people know the
truth of my doings in Washington.
If it can be done. i intend to prove
that L am not the hideOus monster
| Americans naturally believe me to
| be.
| II doubt whether you can do it."
said.
| perhaps I can't" he replied, "but il
| is al least worth the effort. L am fono
of America. I'm fonder of my name
For a space we walked along In
silence, and then abruptly he stopped
and faced me-
DO YOU know what Colonel House
told me one day?" he began. 1--WE had
| been discussing the submarine issue
This was early in the war. l had de-
! Tended the German use of submarines
! on the grounds that it was our only
possible method against the BRUSH
! blockade, illegal and inhuman as that
was. 1 had pointed out that Great
| Britain na0 given INC ChAtCN oS~
peatedly greater cause for declaring
! war than in 1912.
+, "But we can't declare war on Eng
| land" Colonel House said. "a war with
England would be too unpopular IN
| this country.
Won PAPEN AND BOY-ED
| Later brought up the expose OF Won
| Papen and Boy-Ed and asked Bern
! storff for his version of that scandal
J
| it,, he replied, "was when one day
| Mr.. Lansing sent for me and toid
| me bruskly that my military ana
| naval attaches had become persona
non Ernta to the American gov
| ernmcnt md that they must leave
the country Immediately.
II recognize your right to mako
/ this demand, L told him, "but may
| not have your reasons TOT "h"e
Ing their expuIsiOn:"
I "No- replied Mr.. Lansing, You
NAV not We don't want them IN
|, this country and they've got to get
| out, that's ALL"
..Then | asked him point blank II were
! in anv way implicated in Whatever
wrong doing my two attaches inight ma :
| been guilty of. I added that il any such
susnicion attached itself to me, I should
Immediately leave Washington with my
attaches But Mrs. Lansing declared the
state department had absolutely no rea-
sen tn fnplicate me in the matter and the
president himself would be sadly dlsap-
pointed if | took any such step.
you are the only link between us and
Germany he said
after the departure or the Two az
taches I had to wind up their affairs, but
as quickly as possible / washed my hands
of them Every document in the case is
in the hands of the American state de-
nartn,ent Mr. Lansing knows as well as
T do that every evidence OF my actiVltS
in this matter is dated subsequent to the
exposure of my two attaches. There IS
no evidence that even family points 10
nv having known anything about the bad
business before their exposure There
can be none.
$50 it was that during all the time that
public opinion in America held me &C
tually responsible for every stupid, i'll ad-
vised act by German Sympathi2ers-the
United states government authorities
knew full well that was absolutely
guiltless of any participation in such
acts. And this l shall prove up to the
hilt in my book. ''---
HAD nay official actions been anything
less than scrupulously correct, can any
American believe for moment that
President Wilson, through Colonel
House, would have been in almost daily
conference with me during the very last
six months of my stay in Washington?
Yet this is exactly what happened.
CABLES TO EMPEROR
Colonel House told me of the great de-
sire Of the President to end the war by
mediation He wanted me to acQuaint
the German Emperor with his wishes.
Day after day ! sent cables, trying In
every way I knew how to show that
America would remain out of the war and
would actually force the entente to accept
peace without victory if only we would
call off the u-boats. But Berlin would
not see what it did not wish to see, and
my pleas were in vain"
1t was about this time that Bernstorff
became aware of the distinctly unfriendly
attitude on the part of Lansing. Up to
that time there had been no dimunition
of the cordial relations after the boy Ed
incident From sources the former am
bassador considers unimpeachable, he
learned that Lansing was much upset be-
cause the President had chosen Colonel
House to confer with me regarding me-
diation in tead of using Mr.. Lansing
Why his jealousy of Colonel House should
have expressed itself in encouraging at
lacks on my personal honor / am still at
loss to understand, but more than once
while I was in Washington toward the
latter part of 1916 newspaper correspond
ants who came to me at the German en-
bassy unw.ttingly informed me that Mr..
Lansing was encouraging the spreading
of these baseless rumors.
ut doesn't seem to have occurred to
those Spreading charges against me-
Bednstorff continued, ''that if they were
true it was a sorry reflection on the adj
ministrauon which continued to permit
we to remain in the country. Had had a
less lively sense of honor it is Tor will be
when publish my book possible I might
have caused many Americans amazemen,
by telling them that at the very time
was icing pictured as the head Of the
German sly system in Americ, an. thus
scandalously abusing the privileges of my
diplomatic office their President was en-
gaging in daily conferences with me
through his unofficial bust most impor-
tant representative. But as it was no noe
even guessed it at the time.
All Germany knows now what q few
of US realized then--that a peace with
out victory would have been-for Ger
many-a very great victory. For had n
only gone so far as to postpone the re-
sumption of the U-boat warfare a little
more than month the Russian revolu-
ton would have eventuated exactly as
1t did. With Russia gone, the Entente
would have been forced to do as Mr..
Wilson wished.
REVOLUTION CAUSE OF WAR
las matter of fact It was this very
Russian revolution which history, per-
haps within ten years, will prove beyond
dispute was the actual cause of the war.
Many versions of the causes leading to
the beginning of the war have been told
m hA