The New York herald., 1922-01-07
BRITISH JUSTIFY
SPEYER CHARGES
Secretary's Report Shows
Why Sir Edgar's Natural
ization Was Revoked.
TRADING WITH ENEMY
Accused Man, in New York,
Lays Procedure to. Po-
litical Spite.
CALLS CHARGES TRIVIAL
Loan to Boston journal Of
ficial Personal, Association
With Muck Artistic.
CALLS CHARGES TRIVIAL

LONDON, Jan. 6 (Associated Press)
The report on which Sir Edgar
Speyer's British naturalization was
recently revoked, was made public to-
day by the Home Secretary. 1t was
made by the Certificates of Naturali-
zation Revocation Committee
Among the eight allegations of inn
proper conduct contained in the re-
port are loan of $1,000 to a man
named Ware for the benefit of the
now nonexistent Boston journal, de-
tails of Sir Edgar's association with
Carl Muck, former conductor of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra, and with
John Koren; Sir Edgars traficking
and communication with enemy sub
jects and his evasion Of TIE British
censorship.
Tho report says Sir. Edgar. with his
brother. James, and his brother-ln-law,
Herr Belt Won Spcyer, were partners in
three Speyer houses. namely. at Frank
fort. New York and London, which were
Intimately connected with each other
and with the Deutsche Bank. 1t con-
tinues:
"Sir Edgar immediately retired from
the German firm and Belt Won Speyer
from the British firm at the outbreak OF
the war. Both. however. continued to
be members of the neutral firm Of
Speyer & Co.. New York. Notwith-
standing royal proclamation on Au-
gust 5. 1914. Sir Edgar made no motion
to retire from this firm in which he was
In partnership with a German and which
was doing business with Germany"
After a subsequent proclamation, the
report says, Sir Edgar consulted a solicit
tor and eventually retired from the New
York firm on October 5. 1914.
For a considerable time. therefore" :"
runs the report, "Sir Edgar remained in
partnership with an enemy and shared
with him the profits OF trading with
Germany, and he relinquished that posi-
tlon with obvious reluctance and on
compulsion. In this matter Sir Edgar
seems to us to have preferred private
financial interests to the prompt dis
charge of his duties to the State"
Dealing with Enemy.
L. tlrQlng the QedllHB5 the IOnQOD
firm had between February and June.
1915. in exchange arbitrage In conjunc-
tion with the New York firm and with
the Teixeira Of Amsterdam the report
says:
''Sir Edgar should have known that
these transactions would almost. GER
tainly include. as they did in. fact In
clude, traffic with Germans
We are satisfied that he knew the gen.
eral nature of these. transactions
. - AS an expert financ,er.' he
knew that the admission of Germans
into such transactions was not. merely
profitable to them but was of great
benefit to Germany as a state In en-
abling her to accumulate in neutral
countries large amounts OF currencies
iI those countries with view to maxi
ing purchases there"
From June, 1916. when he landed In
New York, to the end of the war Sir
Edgar was in regular and constant cor
respondence with his brother-in- law in
Frankfort. the report alleges. saying
this was plainly case of unlawful COM
with the subjects of an en-
envy state.
"It was n breach of Sir Edgar's oath
as Privy Councillor and was in the fla
grant and habitual violation of his per-
opinion is that such correspondence
would have been impossible by any loyal
British subject"
''It Is plain that Sir Edgar was n party
to repeated systematic attempts to evade
the British censorship" says the report,
which gives voluminous details and in
sists Sir Edgar himself repeatedly at
tempted TO do so and justified his con-
duct In so doing. and that he repeatedly
attempted to induce his English part
ners to do likewise. He desisted from
this. IL continues, only because of strong
opposition by his English partners and
through fear of further injury to his
business interests.
Another Attempt to Evade.
Notwithstanding all that passed, the
report continues, Sir Edgar in Septem-
Der. 1915. was party to further at
tempt on the part OF Speyer q Co. to
evade the censorship by causing cables
between themselves and Speyer
Brothers to be dispatched and received
by Aslel & Co.. stock brokers, New York.
says the report, Sir Edgar
attempting to receive cables
addressed to Harry Brown Harry
Nichols. Bronxville.' Wilkinson Greene,
md Gordon Abbott. care of Colony. Bos-
tom" II says Harry Brown took ex-
reption to the use of his name and asked
that IL be discontinued.
Confronted with these documents, the
report says, Sir Edgar declared that
Belt Won Speyer had misunderstood him.
He. Sir Edgar, had not professed Ger
man sympathies Sir Edgar's explana-
tion. however was refused acceptance
by the committee. which says:
I'VE are entirely satisfied that Sir
Edgar In this correspondence professed
German sympathies. We are
sir Edgar ceased 20 entertain
any feeling OF loyalty 20 his Majesty. or
for this country. and that he
desired, a. least in the event of n Ger
man victory, to substitute for his British
a German allegiance and as
ISOLATION"
The report SHOULD az once dispose OF
many Of the gross insnua tions'' made
gainst Sir Edga- Speyer. says his two
London partners Messrs. Brown and
Leith. In communication issued 10 the
press. They ,Npress the unqualified
opinion "that he Is incapable of any act
of treachery against the country of his
While admitting that sir Edgar "un-
was concerned IN certain un-
fortunate associations in America and
he had dealings technically irregular.
The communicat on states this explana
tion is due not only to Sir Edgar