Next, as an English banker making a special study of Mexican railway securities, he called one day upon Villa’s representative in New York, and discussed the Mexican situation with him, and afterwards he sent money to Villa. He gave support to Carranza. He financed Zapata, and he started two other small revolutions in Mexico. He gave $350,000 to one agent who hurriedly left the country carrying the cash with him. He sent $400,000 travelling through devious channels to help one of the revolutionary parties; but that money was recovered by von Rintelen’s superiors after a most exciting scramble. The reckless agent is reported to have expended $10,000,000 in his Mexican enterprises, and airily he said he would spend $50,000,000 if necessary.
CHAPTER VII
CAPTAIN FRANZ VON RINTELEN, GERMAN ARCH-PLOTTER
But von Rintelen had still bigger projects afoot. While his precise, swiftly moving mind supervised the Mexican conspiracy, and carefully watched over shipments of supplies to the Fatherland, he was launching a series of concerted conspiracies designed to cut off this country almost entirely from Europe. His vivid imagination had led him to picture a Utopian fantasy wherein Americans who believed so absolutely in universal peace—despite the war raging abroad—that the labourers would refuse to make munitions of war, the farmers would decline to sell food to warring nations, and the Government would take over all the war factories. Von Rintelen, accordingly, determined to bring such a dream into real life, not for altruistic purposes, but to help Germany conquer the Allies.
He had made his plans before he left Germany, and he had sent ahead for information concerning Americans as his aids, who were skilled in finesse and underground work. He wanted men who, while men of brains, might be led by lust for gold or hatred of England to espouse the criminal schemes which he had originated. He sought leaders whose logic and oratory could sway the rank and file. The man of whom he had heard while in Berlin as a likely assistant was David Lamar, now serving a term of imprisonment for having impersonated a Congressman, whose craftiness and ingenious methods in using politicians in his stock operations had won him the title of “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The two men were brought together.
One can see von Rintelen, enthusiastically speaking in millions of dollars, as he outlined his schemes to Lamar, his equal in grace of manner and deceit, and Lamar cloaking his avarice with smiles and sophistry.
BEFUDDLING THE PACIFISTS
Von Rintelen’s first step, as he outlined it to Lamar, was to use the horrors of the European War as an appeal for universal peace, and to enlist the labouring men and the farmers of America in raising their united voice against the exports of arms and ammunition. And thus a great labour peace propaganda was originated by a German whose patriotism had driven away his scruples, and an American who had gone money-mad. The details of the organization were set forth, and soon von Rintelen had a staff of workers at his command, though they all may not have known he was paying their salaries. His agents, in secret interviews with labour leaders, were soliciting their aid, flashing rolls of gold-tinted certificates. The men who guiltily handled the money which von Rintelen drew from the bank had only one complaint, namely, that the denominations of the bills were entirely too large.
Two of von Rintelen’s agents following Samuel Gompers, president of the National Federation of Labour, to Atlantic City one day, offered him $500,000 for his services in endorsing the peace propaganda and participating in the work. Mr. Gompers scorned the offer. Other big labour leaders, whose aid was solicited, began immediately to warn their associates against the anti-American activities of German agents.
By June, 1915, von Rintelen’s schemes were moving apace. A big advertising campaign had been started in the early spring with von Rintelen’s cash. Newspaper propaganda picturing the glories of universal peace began to appear.
By the aid of Lamar, who kept von Rintelen in the background, the German soon had many persons working and talking in the interest of universal peace. It has been stated that the services of Frank Buchanan, Representative in Congress and former labour leader, and of H. Robert Fowler, ex-Congressman, were obtained. Whether they were aware of von Rintelen and his motives is a question for a jury to answer, for they have been indicted in connection with the alleged activities of the Labour’s National Peace Council.