BEATEN BY HUNGER

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 14

BEATEN BY HUNGER

A GERMAN CONFESSION

".WE SHALL BEGIN AGAIN.' 1-!

An amazing document, containing the statement of a German personage only lower than the Throne, is revealed through Lloyd's News correspondent in Amsterdam. This personage, while confessing that, in his own words, "Germany is beaten down to death only by hunger ! _ She has- won where fighting is concerned!" vows that his.country will be avenged.

England is the enemy whose-Navy has starved Germany—because the German fleet was not strong enough. But in three years' time, when the High Seas Fleet, so carefully conserved in this war, has grown far mightier, England will be invaded and destroyed. Here is the remarkable message :— I am sending you an amazing ■ document which has just come into my possession. It is of such a character that I should never dream of communicating it to you unless I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that both the Dutch gentleman and the German referred to therein occupy in their respective countries positions that are only lower than the highest. The document which follows, word for word, consists of a conversation between the Dutch gentleman and the German. Immediately after the conversation ended the Dutch gentleman wrote out a full account of all that the German said . and handed it to a certain friend, with permission to show it to me. I have every reason to believe that the text of the document will be widely printed here very shortly. I would again impress the fact that both principals in this matter occupy very high positions.

The document runs as follows :— "Yes," said the German, "we are beaten—beaten by hunger! but not by arms. Nobody in the world can say we are beaten by force of arms. We have won where, fighting is concerned. We are beaten down to death only by hunger. We starve. " And England, Eingland alono, has done this against us ! Therefore, we decree infinite hate and revenge to England. Our great and only mistake was our fleet. It was not large enough. But we swear that in three years it will bo mightier than the 'English fleet has ever been, or ever can be. We swear this. Never, never again will England have the nations under her wings as she has them now ! "England.will then stand nearly alone, and then !

" We shall create a mighty combination—so strong that we are sure to annihilate England. Our fleet will invade England. It is for this work that we have so carefully preserved our fleet during this war.

" In three years we shall begin again —to strike at England, and this time we are certain to destroy her. At this very moment, when peace is on all lips, we remember England. After some show, of hypocritical diplomatic resistance we shall concede all that England demanda. ("All" was strongly emphasised.)

" We shall even sell and betray Turkey and give Constantinople to Russia. '' We will sell and betray Austria and give Transylvania to Rumania.

"We will sell and betray Ferdinand of Bulgaria, and leave him to stand alone against his enemies. " France shall have Alsace and Lorraine back again.

"We will give Belgium up to fifty milliards as compensation.

" We will even deliver up our Kaiser if they demand it.

"Then, then, we shall have peace! " But on that day, when peace is signed, we shall begin again to create our new fleet, and. within three years we shall begin ogam.--"And then? Well, then we shall be a hundred times stronger than now." Fierce hatred could scarcely go farther than this. And remember it is not the furious raving of an unofficial and irresponsible German-