The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-10-05

Never was truer aphorism
penned. Today the only change
in that statement is that war
is no longer declared but truth
is slaughtered just the same.
Arthur, Lord PonSonby, wrote
as far back as 1923, in his
"Falsehood in Wartime" "a
copy of which should be read
by every American citizen-that
authorities in each country do
and, indeed, must resort to" lies,
trickery and falsehoods lin or
der to justify themselves by de-
plotting the enemy as an undi-
luted criminal and to inflame
popular passion to secure re.
cruits."
Today the same falsehoods
are growing again through the
world, the same efforts to de-
ceive great masses of innocent
people.
THE League of Nations, doIni-
L mated by France and Britain,
importunes the United States
to take a hand in the Far
Eastern conflict.
The paramount desire in the
minds of a vast majority of
American citizens at present is
neutrality and peace at almost
any price" The washington
authorities dare not pursue a
foreign policy which ignores
that national sentiment.
How then to cause that pub
lie sentiment in America to
change, London and Geneva
diplomats ask. Build up q vii
lain, is their answer; produce
an "undiluted criminal" re-
plete with surrounding stories"
of atrocities, brutalities and
cruelties.
The wheels to attain this end
are now in motion. Consider the
first reports of the japanese
air raids on Canton. The Sep
TENDER 81 issue of the South
China Morning Post, of Hong
kong, declared that several
thousand Chinese civilians had
been killed" by falling bombs.
Twenty-four hours later dis.
patches to America revealed
that neutral military observers
declared this was a fanciful
exaggeration. But the point is
the first reports received the
play.
IN the last few days several
L pictures purporting to show a
japanese soldier carrying out
bayonet drill on a dead China
man have been widely printed
in the United States. Before you
accept those pictures on their
face value and believe all they
intend to convey to your mind,
consider these facts:
The taking of pictures in the
World War became a vast in
duStry.
A picture taken by Karl
DEUS. of Berlin, showed delivery
of mail bags in front of the field
postoffice of the German army
in Kavevara.
This was reproduced in the
London Daily Mirror of Deem
Der 3, 1915, with this caption:
made to Wash Huns Dirty
Linen"
A photograph was taken in
Berlin of a crowd before the
Kaiser's palace on July 3, 1914,
BEFORE the outbreak Of war.
This picture was reproduced in
LIE Monde Illustre of Paris, Aug.
ust 81, 1915-more than a year
later-with the caption, EN-
thusiasm and Joy of the Bar
barians," supported by a cap
ton explaining this was a dem
onstration celebrating the Lusi-
tania sinking.
In the Berlin Lokalanzieger
of June 9, 1914-before the
World War-a picture was pub.
lished showing three cavalry Of
ficers who had won cups and
trophies at an army steeple-
chase meet in the Grunewald.
On August 8. 1915, the London
Daily Mirror reprinted the pic
ture with the caption: Three
German Cavalrymen Loaded
with Gold and Silver Loot"
So-when you see atrocity pic
lures again nowadays-try and
be little skeptical about their