The machinations of England and France to put Germany in the
wrong--Lies on all sides.
Germany has now not only to battle against a world in arms, but it must
also defend itself against lies and slanders which have been piled up
around it like a hostile rampart. There is no cable at our disposal.
England has either cut the cables, or is in possession of them. No
German description of what has actually occurred can be sent by
telegraph; the wires are carrying into the world only the distortions of
our enemies. Germany is shut off as with a hedge from the outside world,
and the world is supplied solely with news given out by our enemies.
This language is strictly true; for the boldest, nay, the most impudent
imagination would be unable to invent anything to exceed the false and
absurd reports already printed by foreign newspapers.
In view of what we have experienced during this first week of the war we
can already calmly assert that when the editors of foreign newspapers
come later to compare their daily news of this week with the actual
occurrences as testified to by authentic history, they will all open
their eyes in astonishment and anger over all the lies which the
countries hostile to Germany have sent over the cables to bamboozle the
whole world. Much of all this has already become ridiculous; we must
laugh over it despite the solemnity of the crisis in which we are
living--for example, the bestowal of the cross of the Legion of Honor
upon the city of Liége by the French President because it victoriously
repulsed the attack of the Germans. Witness, too, the telegrams of
congratulation sent by the King of England and the Czar of Russia to the
Belgian King upon the victory of Liége! The joy over such "German
defeats" will prove just as brief as the jubilation over such "Belgian
victories." Such lies have short legs, and the truth will in any case
soon overtake them.
But there are other lies of a more serious character and of more
dangerous import--all such as misrepresent Germany's attitude and defame
German character. Such defamation is designed to disturb old friendships
and transform them into bitter estrangement; such defamation can also
attain its hostile purpose wherever people do not say daily to
themselves, "It is an enemy that reports such things about Germany; let
us be wise and suspend our judgment till we know actual results, till we
know what is surely the truth."
Let us select several facts as examples and as evidence--facts connected
with the preparation for this war, as well as with the conduct of it
thus far.
All the cables controlled by the English-French-Russian coalition
disseminate the lie about the ostensibly "preventive war" that Germany
wished and prepared for. The German "White Book" prints documents
proving the white purity of the German conscience as represented by
Kaiser, Chancellor, and people. It reveals also the profound grief of
the German Kaiser over the sly and insidious perfidy of the Czar, toward
whom he steadily maintained German fidelity even in hours of grave
danger. What Russia did was more than a mere attack, it was a
treacherous assault. The following facts prove this:
The German mobilization was ordered on Aug. 1, whereas Russia began
to mobilize fully four weeks earlier, or about the beginning of
July. Papers found on several Russian harvest laborers arrested in
the district of Konitz show that the Russian military authorities
had already by the first of July--i.e., immediately after the
tragedy at Serajevo--sent to the leaders of these men mustering-in
orders, which were to be distributed immediately after a further
word should be given. These confiscated papers prove that Russia
hoped to be able to mobilize against Austria before Germany could
get official information of Russia's measures. The Russian
authorities purposely avoided the usual course of sending these
orders through the Russian Consuls, and they assigned "military
exercises" as the object of this call to the colors.
July 25--Military exercises at Krasnoye-Selo were suddenly broken
off and the troops returned at once to their garrisons. The
manoeuvres had been called off. The military cadets were advanced
at once to officers, instead of waiting, as usual, till Autumn.
July 26--All ships and boats are forbidden to sail in the waters
between Helsingfors and Yorkkele; and navigation between Sweden and
Finland is closed.
July 28--Partial mobilization; sixteen army corps to be increased
to the strength of thirty-two corps. On the same day the Czar begs
for friendly mediation; and on the same day the Russian Minister of
Foreign Affairs and the Russian Minister of War give the German
Military Attaché, upon their own initiative, their solemn word of
honor that no mobilization has taken place.
July 30--The Second and Third Russian Cavalry Divisions appear on
the German frontier between Wirballen and Augustov. The Czar issues
a ukase calling to the colors the reserves in twenty-three entire
Governments and in eighty districts of other Governments; also the
naval reserves in sixty-four districts, or twelve Russian and one
Finnish Government; also the Cossacks on furlough in a number of
districts; also the necessary reserve officers, physicians, horses
and wagons.
July 31--General mobilization of the whole Russian Army and Navy.
The German steamer Eitel Friedrich, which keeps up a regular
service between Stettin and St. Petersburg, is stopped by a Russian
torpedo boat and brought into Revel, where the crew were made
prisoners. The Russians blow up the railway bridge on Austrian
territory between Szozakowa and Granica.
Night of Aug. 1--Russian patrols attack the German railway bridge
near Eichenried and try to surprise the German railway station at
Miloslaw. A Russian column crosses the German frontier at
Schwidden, and two squadrons of Cossacks ride against Johannisburg.
Aug. 1--(At last) Germany's mobilization.
And France?
July 27--The Fourteenth Army Corps breaks off its manoeuvres.
July 31--General mobilization.
Aug. 2--French troops attack German frontier posts, cross the
frontier, and occupy German towns. Bomb-throwing aviators come into
Baden and Bavaria; also, after violating Belgium's neutrality by
crossing Belgian territory, they enter the Rhine Province and try
to destroy bridges.
Only after all this is the German Ambassador at Paris instructed to
demand his passports.
And England?
In London war must already have been decided upon by July 31; the
English Admiralty had even before that date advised Lloyd's against
insuring German ships. On the same day the German Government gave
emphatic support in Vienna to the English mediatory proposal of Sir
Edward Grey. But the entire English fleet had already been assembled.
Of course, English public opinion was and still is divided. As late as
Aug. 1 The Daily Graphic wrote in reference to the Russian mobilization
order: "Will the Russian order also be carried out in the provinces on
the German frontier? If so, then the labor of the peace-preservers is at
an end, for Germany is compelled to answer with the mobilization of its
armed forces. We confess that we are not able to understand this
attitude of Russia, in view of the resumption of negotiations at
Vienna."
And a leaflet distributed in the streets of London said that "a war for
Russia is a war against civilization."
So much as to the preparations for the war--and now we take up the
conduct of the war itself.
By glancing at the foreign press during this one week we have been able
to collect the following specimen pieces of news:
London--The British Admiralty reports that the English fleet had
driven back the German fleet to the Dutch coast.
There is not one word of truth in this. The Admiralty itself appears
later to have recovered its senses; at least, it denied a Reuter story
about a "great English naval victory near the Dogger Bank." But the
English manufactories of lies are already so actively at work that
members of Parliament have protested in the House itself against the
"lying reports of the English press."
Paris--From Paris the assertion was made and disseminated
throughout the world that "the landing of English troops in Belgium
has begun; they were enthusiastically received by the population.
The landing proceeded rapidly and in the best order, as the
agreement between the two General Staffs guaranteed the perfect
carrying out of the disembarkment plans."
Not a single word of this is true. At present not one English soldier
has been landed.
In a similar way the Baltic Sea has become the scene of invented
"battles"--of "German defeats," of course; the Russian Baltic Fleet sank
a German war vessel in a battle that never occurred.
And, "The Russian vanguard has crossed the German frontier without
meeting with opposition." As a matter of fact there is not a single
Russian soldier on German soil. All inroads have been repulsed, and the
German offensive has everywhere been successful.
A Dutch newspaper prints the following report from France:
Belfort--Many hundreds of Alsatians are joining the French Army
with great enthusiasm, also many Italian Swiss. A large number of
Alsace-Lorrainers are waiting near the frontier with a view of
crossing it at a favorable opportunity to fight on the French side.
Such absurdity in the face of the unbroken unanimity of the entire
German people and despite the manifest enthusiasm of the
Alsace-Lorrainers for the German cause!
Equally stupid and made up for incurably credulous readers is an
official report of the French War Ministry--not a private rumor, be it
noted, but an official communication. It says:
A young Frenchman reports under oath that he was arrested, along
with several other Frenchmen, at the railway station in Lörrach
while on the homeward journey from Baden; and they were led through
the whole city under a military escort. One of the Frenchmen
shouted, "Hurrah for France," and was at once shot down. Three
others who protested against this suffered the same fate; and so
did a fifth man who thereupon had called the Germans murderers. The
rest of the Frenchmen, proceeding to Switzerland by rail, heard
shots fired in the adjoining compartment; they discovered that two
Italians had been shot by Germans because one had protested against
the opening of the window, and another had jostled a German.
Does such stuff call for any refutation at all?
A typical example of how it is sought to work upon public opinion by
means of systematic lying is afforded by the capture of Liége.
The fact is that this Belgian stronghold, along with its forts, which
contained a garrison of 20,000 men, was taken by storm on Aug. 7 by the
German troops, who fought with unparalleled bravery, and that 3,000 to
4,000 Belgian prisoners of war are already on their way to Germany.
Yet on Aug. 9--two days after the fall of Liége--a dispatch was still
sent to the Dutch press, saying: "The Liége forts are still in Belgian
hands."
And on Aug. 8, thirty-six hours after the fall of Liége--a dispatch was
sent from Paris to the newspapers of Rome, saying:
The Germans lost 20,000 men at Liége and asked for an armistice of
twenty-four hours. Liége has not yet fallen. The English landed
100,000 men at Antwerp, who were received with jubilation by the
population. President Poincaré, upon the proposal of Doumergue, the
Minister of War, conferred on the City of Liége the cross of the
Legion of Honor.
Another newspaper reported as follows: "The King of England sent a
congratulatory dispatch to the King of Belgium upon his victory at
Liége; seven German regiments were slain."
At Paris itself a note of the French War Ministry--published on the
evening of Aug. 7, Liége having fallen in the early morning of that
day--mentions the resistance of Liége and says that the forts are still
holding out; that the Germans who had entered the city on Thursday by
passing between the forts had evacuated it on Friday; and that the
Belgian division that went to the assistance of the city had therefore
not even made an attack. The official note concludes from all this that
the resistance of the Belgians was seriously disturbing the plan of the
Germans, who were building hopes upon a rapid success.
And four full days after the capture of Liége the French Minister at
Berne reported officially: "Liége has not yet been taken; the German
troops were repulsed."
At Copenhagen the following dispatches were published: "The English and
French troops had effected a junction with the Belgian Army and had
entered Liége and made many German prisoners, among them a nephew of the
German Kaiser."