After some time of interesting visits and conversations, I left
Copenhagen to go partly by train and partly by steamer to Berlin,
making the trip to Germany by way of Warnemünde. This is the port on
the Baltic Sea through which the German capital and the interior of
Europe may be reached most conveniently.
I had not been in Germany many days until I learned from personal
observation that some travelers I met professed friendship for Germany
and in spite of their professions were false and dangerous enemies. To
me it seemed, in view of this fact, that the authorities leaned rather
on the side of leniency than on the side of severity. In all public
places was the notice:
SOLDATEN
VORSICHT IN GESPRACHEN
SPIONENGEFAHR
The translation is as follows: Soldiers, careful in conversations;
danger of spies!
That there was an invasion of spies and secret service men, mostly
representing England and France, I learned soon after I reached the
large cities of Germany. They were disguised in various ways, as
laborers, students and professional and business men.
I had been in Berlin more than three weeks, had consulted with the
American ambassador, Hon. James W. Gerard; with Mr. James O'Donnell
Bennett and Mr. Robert J. Thompson, American newspaper reporters;
with members of the German parliament, and many officials in civic
and military positions, including Herr Gottlieb von Jagow, the German
secretary of foreign affairs, before I obtained privileges to visit
prison camps, border fortifications and fields in the east where action
had destroyed cities and devastated the country.
After I had traveled to inspect the points which I wanted to visit,
I began to plan to learn from first hand experience the strange and
horrible action and destruction in war. It was my purpose to meet
those who had fought at the front and had been in the thick of the
fight at noted engagements. In this manner I obtained information by
personal inspection and at the same time saw safely by proxy what would
otherwise be dangerous and impossible.