New-York tribune., 1921-01-02
Pamphlets Instead Of Bullets
Secrets of Crewe House Told by Sir Campbel]
Stuart

, nftns OF the Hapsburg peoples we're
actually or potentially we'll disnosed
toward the Allies. The desire Of thesa
races for independence and the form.
ing Oh strong chain of non German
Central European and Danub;an states.
end their disinclnation to fight on
behalf OF the Central Empires. were
used as the chief levers in propaganda
work
Caused Desertions
AS soon as leanet campaign wa.
launched, deserters began coming from
the Austro- Hungarian lines. Nearly all
brought with them leaflets distributed
by the Allied Commission. There were
even desertions en- masse during the
Plave offensive. Ammunition dumps be-
hlnd the enemy lines were blown up by
the Czechs. Southern Slav divisions
were divided up and mixed with "relia-
ble' troops, indicating that they were
dktrusted. After the Piave battle men,
bers Of the 1nter-Allied Propaganda
ONAS'i'ASc'oh "OAC tudiihSu ny Lllc lL3llR0
commander in chief, General Daz, for
their part in the victory. A distribution
Of almost q million leaflets a day was
eventually secured in the propaganda
campaign against Austro- Hungary.
The most effective means of dis
tributng propaganda literature was the
airplane, but this was shut off by tho
British War Office until October, 1918,
because Of Germany's threat that severe
methods of rcprisal would be taken in
work. Yet the French and Italians, it is
pointed out, continued to use airplanes
for distribution work on their fronts.
Forced to adopt other means, the British
designed a balloon, made Of paper,
capable of lifting four pounds, insuring
the distribution of from 500 to 1000
leaflets. The leaflets were released by
means of a burning fuse. BY this means
propaganda was distributed over an area
from ten to fifty miles behind the enemy
lines. Wireless telegraphy was used
for propaganda purposes, and on the
Italian front monographs, with records
of Czech and Slav songs, were set in
operation in trenches near the enemy
lines. A "trench newspaper" in Ger
man, with it's title decoration including
head of the Kaiser, proved most effec-
tive on the German front. From
25O,0O0 to 100000 copies Of this "news-
paper" were distributed each week.
Huge masses Of literature were snug
gled into Germany Obvious channels,
such as the book trade, which were left
open, were utilized to get information
into the enemy country. Works, osten-
sibly by revered German authors, turned
out to contain effective Allied propa-
ganda. Prince Lichnowsky's pamphlet
achieved clandestine circulation in Ger
many and Austria in an incredibly short
time. Enemy newspaper correspondents
were carefully "nursed." Nor were
neutrals neglected. A visit Of neutral
editors to this country was arranged in
order that Germany might learn,
through such sources, Of the enormous
preparations in which America was
engaged.
From Crewe Houec
Propaganda work WAS directed from
the town mansion of the Marquis OF
Crewe, which had been put at the dis
posal of the government German al
legations that huge sums of money
we're spent by Lord Northcliffe are
characterized as comic, the author say
ing that the total cost Of propaganda
operations WAS less than one-hundredth
part of Great Britain's daily war bill.
For tho four months from September
l to December 81, 1918, when the Gin
tensive" campaign was on, the expense
was about S150000 The reason for
the small expense Of British propa
ganda was that many members of the
department worked without remunera
| ton.
The author says that many Of the
methods of propaganda work Of the
British must remain a secret. He has
told enough, however, to show that
England carried on the work of that
character at once effectively, unobtru-
sively, cheaply and, best of all, without
blunders. The tributes of praise in the
book arc chiefly from enemy sources.