New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-20
I've Lose War
liz u. S. Enters,
Said Won Papen
s;nsheimer Report Shows
the German Government
Would Heed No Warnings
on Submarine Warfare
Reichstag Kept in Dark
wilson Made Overtures for
Peace Possible. but All
Hone Was Put i'm U-Boats

BERLIN. July 1s--The report OF the
land subcommittee of the commit
-. If Investigation on President Will
,.p,s pesce efforts during the winter
=, 1915 and ,s17, prepared by Profess
.or sinsheimer, former Socialist mem
lar at the Reichstag, draws the con-
.,usiou that President Wilson's action
made peace overtures possible, but that
re German government, not svailing
Itself Of them, instead took q stand for
unrestricted Uboat warfare.
me report, made available in full
here yesterday. is signed by six mem
hers Of the different political parties.
II is a grave indictment of Germany's
military dictators at the time. The re-
mort shows how the economists of
fhancellor Won Bethmann H ollweg's
<;yil government, even DR.. Karl Helf-
fsrich. then Minister of Finance, did
NOT believe unrestricted U-boat war
ssrs could insure Germany victory. AS
the gravest mistake, the report men
tons the fact that Americas resources
we're under-estimated completely.
What Was Hoped of U-boats
The report says it was argued that
The submarines would prevent the
transportation of American troops, IF
there were any 1t further declares
that the submarines failed to terrorize
sufficiently neutral shipping; that suf-
Scent attention was not paid to the
snti-U-boat measures of Germany's
enemies, and. finally, that when
America entered the war the military
authorities failed TO make adequate
provision for its inevitable lengthy
protraction.
That the German public was grossly
nisled is a further charge in the re-
port, which implies that although the
economic experts gave adhesion to
unrestricted U-boat warfare at the be-
hest OF the military leaders, the ex-
perts were rabid party men and did
not include really first class authori-
ties, especially on shipping, who the
report holds should have been con-
sdlted.
an fact the report goes on, mo
arguments against U-boat warfare were
permitted to be placed at any time" be-
fore the Reichstag. The report espe-
eially mentions the Withholding from
public knowledge of communications
from DR.. Haniel Won Haimhausen, for
msrly Counsellor of the German En-
hassy at Washington; Dr.. Franz Won
Papen, former military attache to the
embassy, and DR.. Heinrich F. Albert.
former commercial attache to the en-
bassy, who. being familiar with the
American situation, insistentlN warned
against unrestricted U-boat warfare.
Tie report mentions notably Won
Papen's message to General Erich Won
Falkenhayn, former chief of the Ger
man staff, I'll you fail to keep the
United States out you have lost the
war"
Causes of Collapse
The capitulation of the civil govern
ments misgivings with regard to what
now has proved to be the mistaken
policy OF frightfulness and the fact that
the Reichstag was kept in ignorance of
the true situation were, according to
the report, the cause of Germany's
collapse
The historical blame of Germany's
political government is" the report
continues, that on the vital question
Of Germany's existence it allowed to
happen that which in its conviction was
peernicious to the country. The blame
81 the military leadership is that,
knowing unrestricted. U-boat warfare
would inevitably entail Americas en-
try, it played the card"
minority report issued at the same
time as the majority report consists
manly OF arguments to the effect that
President Wilson's efforts at the time
were not definite enough and that
there were sufficient reasons to adopt
unrestricted U-boat warfare.