The New York herald., 1922-01-22
Intimate Advisers, He Says,
Had Scheme for Urging
Ruler to Quit.
GENERALS CALLED TO SPA
Declined to Guarantee Loyalty
y Of Troops to Please Hin
denburg.

spscsol Cable to Tun NEW YORK HxaALD.
Copyright, 1885. by The New YORK HnRArD
New York Herald Bureau.
Berlin, Jan. FL.
The campaign to free the ex-Kaiser
from the onus Of having deserted his
post is helping the German public to
get the first clear picture Of how the
fight to Holland came to pass. Fol-
lowing tie publication Of the letters
interchanged by the ex-Kaiser and
Marshal Won Hindenburg now comes
from the pen Of Lieut.-Gcn. Kabisch
an interesting description Of the part
played by the leading generals in the
kaiser's decision to flee. In his let
Ter Marshal Won Hindenburg gave the
Kaiser the opportunity to shift the
burden for his desertion to his own
shoulders.
While the new revelations sub
stantiate the fact that Won linden
burg played responsible role in the
matter they also show that the Kaiser
was even then not popular with his
other generals and was distrusted as
leader. There obviously was well
thought out plan among his own most
intimate advisers to force the Kaiser
to abdicate.
Gen. Kabisch, who makes the new
revelations in the form OF diary. re-
counts how on November s, 1918, he ano
tho officers Of nearly every army group
- Crn
Ing chance to confer with thefr SUD
ordinates these officers were asked point
blank whether they could guarantee
that their troops would remain loyal
In case the war continued.
~ Collapse Luid TO BoIshevism.
Alternatives were laid before the Cen
erals with this analysis: "Bolshevlsm
has taken hold I'm the German forces.
Austria has collapsed and Bavaria Is
open to italian invasion. which the re-
serves are unable to Withstand. Ger
fnany Is forced to accept any dictations
the Allies wish to make. Resistance is
only possible II the Germans retire to
the Rhine and retreat fighting before
ne Allies in an advance on Berlin. Then
an armistice Is out Of the question.
Under the circumstances Is each officer
ready TO guarantee that his force will
remain loyal and not join the revolu-
tion?"
TO this question the majority Of the
officers replied in the negative. But
Gen. Kabisch ridicules the claim that
only one OF all the interrogated officers
replied Eyes" That the Kaiser was
moved 10 abdicate on the strength OF
tie verdict OF his Generals without per-
mitting him to know how ii was OBJ
taincd from them, Gen. Kabisch !nti-
mates was a deception. The duty OF the
Generals. he says was to obey orders
and not to give political counsel. Had
Marshal Won Hindenburg ordered them
to fight to the last they would have
done So but since he wished to shift q
responsibility to them which was never
theirs they had declined II.
Not Responsible for Kaiser.
But IL the friends OF the cx-FSaiser
take consolation from this representa-
;ion OF what took place at Spa. tho
labisch diary In the main is not con-
csived In a spirit friendly to the former
Kaiser.
"One General at the conference" says
J;Gblsch. put It this way: When / see
q. wagon rushing down hill to preci-
pce. call to my friend sitting in II
10 lump out" And the Generals no
responsible 10 pilot a collapsing ship
s'hey were informed as to what the
Kaiser wished. but were bound to
secrecy from which they have not YET
been released. but Gen. Kabisch adds
That It was known TO every one that the
Kaiser was against abdication.
f. : The echo OF the correspondence be.
tween Won Hindcnburg and the Kaiser
has not been loud In Germany. The pur.
pose of the campaign is 20 reestablis
esteem for the Kaiser irr the ranks oi
his own friends and this must sue
coed before he can even be thought Ct
seriously as q candidate for restora.
tion.
The differences to be ironed out are
not between the monarchists and the
republicans, but between two mon.
erchist factions. The fact that such dis
agreements exist shows how safe the
Republic finds itself from the Hohen.
zollern dynasty. despite It's other diff.
rrulties. Gen. Kabisch's diary has had
,ac effect OF further dlscrcditing vor
IIindenburg without appreciably aiding
TIRE Kaiser.