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62 0 THE FATHERLAND
DR.’ ALBERT DEMOLISHES “WORLD” CHARGES
(The publication on the part of the New York “World" of letters STOLEN from Dr. Heinrich Albert, Commercial Attache of the.Cer-
mon'Emba.rsy, created a tremendous sensation. But not the kind of sensation that the “World” expected. Amcriran: with a
sense and humor saw at ante that the “rezgelatious” revealed nothing dishonorable, nothing that honest men need be ashamed of.
ram of
n defu-
euce, howeper, to that fair-minded majority everywlzere throughout this country, Dr. Albert has Ivrilfttt for publication his vrrsiotr of the
whole ajfatr. Dr. Albert brilliantly refute: the charges brought against him by the Pulitsers and .rttfle.rcforc1.'er, up hope, the silly and
childlike mouthing: of those who see a German “plot” in every nook and crevice of our
as N view of the wide publicity that has been given the documents
and memoranda that were stolen from me, and the wholly false
and unwarranted deductions that are sought to be drawn from them
as evidenced by news comments and editorials, I have concluded, in
justice to the public and to the cause I represent, as well as to my-
self, to present a brief summary of the facts.
“It is inevitable that all sorts of wild and irresponsible offers, pro-
posals and suggestions should be addressed from every conceivable
quarter to one holding the othcial position in which I am placed as
an accredited agent of one of the great nations engaged in this un-
fortunate world-wide war. That is the character of most of the
‘documents’ that were contained in the portfolio that was abstracted
from me. '
“The published letter from a Mr. McLane to the effect that Mr.
McLane ‘has a plan for precipitating a strike of automobile workers,’
and that ‘a strike could be brought about in the munitions factories
of Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati for about $50,000,’ is a fair illus-
tration of the worthless sort of ‘junk’ on which the representatives
of my country are charged with conspiring against the industrial
peace of this community and are sought to be held up to public
reprobation.
Says “Evidence” is VVorthless
“Letters and documents of this sort from strangers with whom
we have had no dealings or communications and whose very identity
is unknown to us are paraded under blinding headlines as though
they constituted evidence of actual transactions with us or were mat-
ters of which we were cognizant or for which we were responsible.
Is it anywhere suggested that the slightest attention was ever paid
to that or any other letter of like import, or that $50,000 or fifty
cents was ever paid or agreed to be paid upon any such enterprise?
“Yet it is upon that sort of ‘evidence,’ and that alone, that we find
one of our leading metropolitan papers editorially indulging in the
unspcakably false and reckless charge against the accredited agent
of a friendly government of ‘buying strikes and industrial turmoil,
inciting sedition against the government and organizing treason.’
It seems that every crank who chooses to write a letter containing
any sort of wild or disreputable proposal has the power to make his
ridiculous proposal the basis of charging me with disloyalty to the
country whose protection and hospitality I enjoy and deeply appre-
ciate, and which I have in no way abused or infringed.
“I have, however, lived here long enough to have learned that,
although your people are at times disposed to jump to hasty con-
clusions on insufficient evidence, there is too much of the spirit of
fair play among them to permit of your forming your final judg-
ments on such manifestly false and slender premises when your at-
tention is called to the facts. It is because of that conviction that I
take the liberty of pointing out the flimsy and unreliable character-
of these publications and of the implied accusations on which they
are based.
Denies ‘Var Plant Purchase‘
“They may be ranged under four heads:
“I. It is said that the documents indicate that the German gov-
ernment has been engaged in the purchase of munitions factories
and war materials, whilst at the same time it or its ally has been
insisting upon and supporting a propaganda in favor of an embargo
by this country against the exportation of arms and ammunition.
This is charged to be an inconsistent attitude and an evidence of
bad faith.
“I insist that it is capable of no such construction. and that the
two positions are entirely consistent, although in points of fact there
has been as yet no purchase made, contracted for or arranged of
any munition or other factory, and none is in contemplation.
“While Germany and Austria-Hungary had hoped that there
ovmxonwcalth.)
would be such an embargo and have been expecting that the action
of Great Britain in seizing control of the seas against neutral coun-
tries and in destroying neutral commerce in violation of interna-
tional law would result in prompt reprisals of that character, we
have still considered it our right and duty, whilst Great Britain
continue its piracy on the high seas, to endeavor to protect our-
selves against this course of international brigandage by stopping
the exportation of war material to the Allies wherever it can be
accomplished, whether by our purchase of factories or of war ma-
terials, even though we are not in a position at this time to make
further use of them in our own defense.
Resents Charge of Bad Faith
“I am unable to understand on what theory our action in that
direction should be the subject of criticism. If we had the means
and the opportunity we would buy every munitions factory in the
United States if in that way we could keep munitions from the
enemy. We should, however, still earnestly urge and insist, as We
do, that it is unjust to require us to protect ourselves in that W353
if it were possible to do so, which it is not, and that your g0Ve”"
ment should protect its commerce with us and should not permit its
citizens to be made the chief instruments of the wholesale slaughter
that is now devastating Europe. If there is anything in the nature
of bad faith or inconsistency in that attitude I confess to being t00
obtuse to be able to appreciate it.
“As further evidencing the utter worthlessness and misleading
character of the publications of which I complain, I beg herewith to
quote from an official document filed by the German Embassy with
the State Department on June 13, 1915, from which you will note
that so far from our then contemplated purchases of war material5
having been secretly conducted our intentions were fully explained
to the State Department, accompanied by the offer to resell to the
United States government ‘any or all of the materials purchased’:
“ ‘If the German government, during the course of the war, should
consider it advisable to purchase arms, ammunition or other war
material in the United States it could do so for no other pufP03“
than to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Allies, he’
enemies. The right of Germany to effect such purchases could not
be flu?-’5ti0ned. Such purchases could not form a danger to the
United States, but would to some extent serve as a limitationruP0“
the casualties of war, thus serving humanity; such purchases wouldv
furthermore, serve the particular interests of the United States. F013
it must be remembered, that if the German government should CV5’
consider it advisable to purchase war materials in the United Stat<?5
it would do so knowing that delivery in Germany could not be
secured and that no use of the purchased material could be h0P9d
for during the war.
Would Resell to United States
“ ‘It will readily be understood, therefore, that the German EOV‘
ernment would at any time be willing, and, indeed, glad to sell and
transfer to the United States government any or all of the material
it had purchased. Instead of depriving this country of any P3” of
her resources, purchases by Germany would insure the retention
within this country of any material it might purchase. From the
German point df view, purchases at this time by the German g0V61'“'
ment of war material manufactured in the United States, while it
would involve the sacrifice of large sums of money, would be justi-
fied alone by the consideration of the human effects, such purchases
might accomplish in the saving of the lives of the German soldiers,
whom, in the hands of the Allies, this war material would wound
and slay.’
“This statement was prompted by the simultaneous appearance 3‘
the time of articles in leading newspapers in various parts of ‘he
