The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-06-24
LUDENDORFF AN AMUSING LIAR

The following synopsis of an article
written by Gen. Ludendorff for the
Atlantic Monthly will rather amuse
most Americans:
In contributing an article to the At
lantic Monthly about the part the
United States played in the war, Gen.
Erich Won Ludendorff was Handicapped
by political misinformation and by his
|inveterate German psychology. He
believes, for instance, that in 1913 a
'gentlemen's agreement" existed be-
tween important men in France,
England and the United States" to
combat the "Pan-Germanism danger" !"
the United States binding itself ITO
interfere IN case of war with Ger
many and Austria" Thus General
Ludendorff unwittingly admits that
Germany and Austria were of a mind
to engage IN a war on the continent.
His "gentlemen's agreement" is, of
course, figment of the imagination.
General Ludendorff cannot be familiar
with international law when he con-
dennis the United States for allowing
munitions of war to be shipped to
Great Britain and France, says the
New York Times. War material would
as certainly have been sent to Ger
many if her feet could have disputed
the mastery of the sea with Great
Britain. President Wilson's notes to
that country upon the blockade of the
German ports the general ignores.
1t is inconceivable that they escap-
ed his notice. Yet there was a time
when British interference with Amer
lean ships strained the relations of the
two countries. The general can see in
episodes that gave comfort and hope
to the pro-Germans here nothing but
by-play for effect. Could anything be
more amusing than his statement that
"at the beginning of the war almost
all neutral states stopped their export
of war material? Those that were
neighbors of Germany certainly did
but only because they feared her. I'm
| der international law the business of
selling war material was legitimate
| Long before the war with the United
States broke out" says General Lu-
dendorff, German headquarters was
quite aware that the United States
government would not allow the Ger.
mans to be victorious over the En-.
| tente"
If that were true, the persistence OF
the Germans in the war was species
of lunacy. A very Machiavelli was
Woodrow Wilson, according to Luden
dorff, who declares that the presi
dents peace overture in the winter o.
1867 was disingenuous and veilet
a policy to enter the war-possibly ii
pursuance of Americas obligation
under the "gentlemen's agreement" o
1913. In spite of the generals infor
nation that the United States woul,
not allow the Central Powers to pre-
vail over the Entente, he makes i
/ clear that he believed American inter
lvention in April 1917, would not turl
the tide of war, because "America
military support would not arriv
soon enough and, consequently, wou1
not come into full effect" He is no
: frank enough to admit the meaning G
, the entrance of the United State
with its 100,00O,O00 people and vas
material resources. Still he under
) stand it, for after the failure of th
Germans, who lacked trained reir
r forcements, to strike "a third blow
l at the French front upon the heels {
the Flanders offensive, April 9-17tl
1913, Il was aware" he say
: "that the difficulty of deciding til
: war before the American support b,
: came effective grew more and more
He gives the Americans the cred
they deserve for their splendid az
) gressiveness at Chateau -Thierry, bt
he does not remember that the hart
fighting Moroccan division of til
Fernch Army shared their glory.
5 In fact, this article General Luder
dorf has nothing to say about tt
French and British armies as contr
buting factors in the common aehiev,
: ment. He does emphasize, howeve
: the "return to form" of those arrnis
when the youthful and vigoros