KEPT IN THE DARK

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 31 July 1915, Page 12

KEPT IN THE DARK

GERMANY AND THE WAR NEWS A MUZZLED PRESS Tho New York' "Evening Post" recently made inquiry as to what the German public was told of the sinking of tho Lusitania, and more especially tho American view of this outrage. The •Tost" is ono of the most influential daily newspapers in America, 'and its editorial on this subjcct, published on June 3, shows how the people of Germany are duped and deluded by their Government: — In the early months of the war there Was constant complainfby German sympathisers that Americans did not know what was actually going on. in Germany. Now the tliiug is reversed. Germany, Wo are' told, is- in ignorance of American feeling, especially American feeling about the Lusitania. Tin's is understood to be one of the topics touched upon in yesterday's conversation between Count Bernstorff and President Wilson. The German Ambassador is said to have explained his difficulty in sendiug official dispatches to Berlin, the consequence being that neither his Government nor the German people was in possession of full knowledge of the American point of view. It is stated, on what appears to be official authority, that our Government has offered to aid the German Ambassador in forwarding through' Mr. Gerard to the Berlin Government' whatever information Count Bernstorff 'desires to send ; The situation is curious, in any reading of it; and'prompts the inquiry just how much the German public knew, or was permitted to know, about tho effects of the sinking of tho Lusitania. At least a partial answer is to he had by scrutiny of the files of the German newspapers for ten days after the Lusitania tragedy. The issues of the "Berliner Tagebjatt" aud the "Frankfurter Zeitung" for -that period are now at. hand, and examination of them certainly indicates that very little of the immense echo caused throughout the world by tha the Lusitania was allowed to reach their readers.- Many reasons for this suggest 'themselves. At that time tho Italian crisis was uppermost, and had first in the news and in editorial discussion. Moreover, . the Government censorship was . plainly at work. The official view of tho of the Lusitania was given to the Press on May 12, and that was supposed to be the end of debate; departure from it would be perilous, as was made evident just then by the suspension of the Berlin "Post" for indiscreet publications on another subject. Finally, there can bo no doubt that the German newspapers aro much hampered in getting through dispatches from abroad. Yet it would appear that they do get through easily some things which' their Government would like them to print. This again hints at censorship.

One thing is clear. Something like an order of the day was issued to tho effect that, in all newspaper discussion of tho Lusitania disaster, it was to be taken for granted that she was an armed auxiliary cruiser. We have _ already quoted the "Frankfurter Zeitung's" statemont that the Lusiatania nad twelve 15-centinietre guns.' The "Tago blatt" of Berlin was less explicit, but asserted that the passengers who were lost, and whose sad fate it ■ deplored, had recklessly embarked upon "a ship of war of a belligerent." As for the official statement issued by the Government, its explanations on this point of armament were rather vague and quite inconclusive. It affirmed that, as a general rule, English ships engaged in trade could no longer be treated as merchant vessels, since they wore "usually armed" (gewohnheitsmassig armiert), aud .besides had threatened to ram German submarines. This made the ordinary visit and search impossible. Besides, as regards tho Lusitania, "the English Press madcj public tho fact that she carried very powerful guns." Oil tho basis of such evidence, the official German communique to tho Press grave; I,v concluded that, in consequence of the ship being armed and laden with munitions of war, '.'the responsibility for tlio loss of the passengers, so deeply' lamented by tho Imperial Government, must rest exclusively upon the Royal Government of Great Britain." Berlin having thus spoken, it was natural that the Press should have considered the case closed.' Yet the newspapers were dimly aware that the United were not disposed to accept, the ipse dixit of the Kaiser. Certain telegrams reflecting the stato of mind in this country wero printed. Thus the Germans knew early of Colonel Roosevelt's assertion that tho sinking of the Lusitania was "pure piracy." More curious is the fact that the pointless talk of Sonator Stone, in half-justifica-tion of the murder of Americana on the Lusitania. was promptly cabled to the "Frankfurter Zeitung." It published it under the heading, "An Intelligent Statement." This looks, as we remarked above, as if the censorship winked benevolently at matter favourable to the German contentions. But it is only fair to add that the "Frankfurter's" dispatches of May 11 and May 12 gave its readers to understand that there was great excitement in Washington and New York; that President AVilson was being deluged with letters and telegrams urging him to act; and that it was rumoured that ho would break off diplomatic relations with Germany. The latter news camo by tho way of Paris, and tho "Frankfurter Zeitung" put over it, tho incredulous headline, "Perliaps." The English papers from May 8 to May 10 wore filled with dispatches reporting the strong and unanimous expressions of the American Press. These must have reached Germany by mail via Holland in two or three days. Yet not a word of it all, so far as we have been able to discover, was republished.,. Nor was any hint given of tho tremendous revulsion of feeling among _ GermanAmericans, after the Lusitania crime. It is only just to,infer, therefore, that Germany was much in tho dark. But lio-ht is coming. It will be thrown hot only by the facilities for communioating with Berlin which our Government • is now putting at the disposal of the German Ambassador, but by the reiteration of the President's strong and sound | position, which ho is to make in a day or two,- .