PULLING WIRES BEHIND SCENES

Germans made it a point to get behind resolutions presented to Congress in the early part of 1916 bearing on the submarine controversy. These measures, regardless of the aims of the legislators, had features that would be helpful to Germany in her desire to sink merchantmen on the high seas.

Senator Gore introduced a resolution “to prohibit the issuing of passports for use on vessels of a belligerent country,” and another bill “to prohibit a belligerent vessel from transporting American citizens as passengers to or from ports in the United States and to prohibit American and neutral vessels from transporting American citizens as passengers and contraband of war at one and the same time.” Representative Stephens of Nebraska and Representative McLemore also introduced bills and resolutions of similar character.

This lobbying and other secret propaganda in Congress was designed to render the President powerless in his demands upon Germany to cease torpedoing passenger ships. The Germans almost succeeded in getting Congress to enact resolutions, forbidding Americans to travel on such passenger vessels. While this legislation was under discussion, Berlin was kept accurately informed concerning the attitude of both the House and the Senate on those measures. The schemes of the Germans, however, fell through and President Wilson was upheld in his policy.

After President Wilson had sent his ultimatum to Germany, insisting that the attacks on passenger ships and merchantmen, in violation of the rules of international law, must cease, the entire horde of German propagandists, German spies and German sympathizers were lined up in a countrywide appeal to Congress to maintain diplomatic relations with Germany, no matter what her answer to America’s note might be. By a systematic scheme put into operation throughout the country, thousands of telegrams were sent to members of Congress and of the Senate beseeching harmonious relations with Germany. In the majority of instances these telegrams were according to formula and all the sender had to do was to sign his name to it. The telegraph charges were paid by an organization financed by German agents.

But their pleas were not needed, for Germany, facing at last—after many months of exchange of notes—the anger of the American people, finally yielded on the submarine question and the Lusitania controversy. All of Germany’s legislative propaganda and secret work had been futile. The exposure of the activities of her agents resulted only in causing many neutral Americans to revolt against her.

CHAPTER XII
CHANGING THE SYSTEM

After all the ramifications of the Teutonic system in America had been unearthed through the work of the Federal authorities, an order went forth to the spies to cease activities that were in violation of the laws. Meantime, the Chief Spy in Berlin began immediately to construct an entirely new system of espionage, for use in an emergency. The remnant of the old system, however, was kept at hand for the furthering of propaganda and such activities as could not arouse the objection of the Government, even though detected.

Count von Bernstorff, German Ambassador, took steps following the seizure of the von Igel papers, rather the papers showing the directorship of the system in America, to issue a warning to all Germans of the necessity of leading a purely and righteously neutral life. He sent forth a statement, which had been prepared by an attorney in New York, to all German consuls in the country, and took care to see that the State Department obtained a copy of this notice. The notice, dated some time in the early spring of 1916, said:

“In consequence of cases which have occurred of late, German Ambassador Bernstorff sent instructions to all German Consuls in the United States to strongly impress on German citizens living in their districts that it is their duty scrupulously to obey the laws of the states in which they reside.”

That notice, however, was simply a subterfuge employed by the Chief Spy in Berlin to throw Americans off his trail. In December, 1915, following the arrest of Paul Koenig and other German agents, a formal notice was sent forth from Berlin asserting that no citizen of Germany ever had been asked to disobey any laws. But that statement had proved merely a blind to cover other activities in the United States. With the seizure of the von Igel-von Papen papers, however, it had become necessary to make a strategic retreat, so to speak, and to rebuild the spy system.[[3]]

[3]. How a new system was devised, and how Americans were employed to gather information about the Allies is now coming to light. Still more startling revelations of plans for attacks upon the United States will shortly be unfolded.

The necessity of such a move is clear because of the fact that the papers, documents and other evidence developed by the Secret Service and other Federal agents proved that the warriors and statesmen of Germany had, at the outset of the war, decided upon a campaign in America to injure the Allies and to weaken the American Government. The General War Staff had at their disposal in America a vast army of German reservists and secret agents, and straightway set them to work upon plans in violation of American laws.