The Dominion. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1915. GERMAN POLICY AND NEUTRAL NATIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2588, 9 October 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1915. GERMAN POLICY AND NEUTRAL NATIONS

British Ministers are beginning to realise the necessity of taking prompt and effective measures to combat the cunningly-devised : ;and - dishonest schemes by/means of which Germany endeavours to mislead the world, and to place its case before neutral nations in, tho most favourable light-. Incidentally, of .. ; course, Germany seeks to. discredit tie cause of tho Alliesjn every possible way.-: Our statesmen have come to see that the policy of treating German ' falsehoods and misrepresentations with silent contempt has played into the hands of an utterly'- unscrupulous foe. It is interesting to notice that the recent attempt: of Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg ; to make tho world believe that'the war was deliberately planned by Britain evoked an. immediate , reply/-from Sir Edward Grey, As Parliament was not sitting, the Minister for . Foreign Affairs took the somewhat unusual course'of writing a letter to the newspapers, in which he exposed the falsity of the German. Chancellor's assertions by a convincing statement of the actual facts. Intelligent Britishers arb no't : likely to be misled by Berlin fabrications, but rccent events have made it clear that the Allies cannot afford •to ignore tho effcct which the carefully, organised German propaganda may have upon neutral States; -;Herr von Bethmann-Holl-weq's allegations that Britain is playing a sordid and selfish part in this crisis, while Germany only desires to be "the-shield of peace and freedom 'of big and small nations," may seem to us to be too ridiculous to require contradiction; but .it. is a mistake to assume too readily that the people of Norway and Sweden, of Spain, and' Switzerland, of the United States 'and.-. South. America, and of the Balkan States, see things from our point of view. We must remember that their war news reaohes

them through a variety of channels —some of them systematically pol-

luted. It is to our interests that no opportunity of - stating our case in the most convincing way possible should be lost.- Every German lie should be refuted as soon as. it is uttered. When onoe, theso Berlin lies and half-truths get a good start it is very difficult to overtake them, and they sometimes do more harm to the cause of the Allies many of'us realise.

The German propaganda has been Organised on the most elaborate and extensive scale.' It is one of Germany's weapons of war. It has certainly exercised a very real influence in the Balkans. A' cablegram which appeared in yesterday's issue of The Dominion refers to the bribery of, Greek, Bulgarian, and Rumanian newspapers and politicians. We aro dealing with an enemy who is not hampered by any scruples of honour or honesty, and who has made a science of duplicity and intrigue. In an article entitled "Notes by a Neutral," which recently appeared in the. London Times, stress is laid upon the fact that Germany has scored points against the Allies by her campaign of lying, coaxing, and bullying. It was not only by threats and promises that she forced Turkey into the fray, but she made it her business to systematically mislead the Turks as to the actual happenings of the war. They were told that the British Fleet was "bottled up," and had failed in its great mission. The prcsencc of the Goeben and Breslau in Turkish waters was even used to give colour to this fiction, and it served its purpose for the time. Now it would seem that Germany will sccure tho help of Bulgaria by the same means. She lias beenmaking the fullest use of the Press for the purpose of persuading the Balkan States that the victory of the Central Powers is , assured. For months past theso countries have been deluged with German-made war news'. This work is carried on-with a persistence which gradually leaves its impression on the public niind. The smaller States hate Ooi'i'lmny, but, they; aluo. havo been made to fe&r iier, and.

their fear is intensified by the systematic manner in which the German point of view is steadily,, kept before them. This propaganda is not confined to the Press. It is stated

that millions of inspired letters are sent to neutral countries, with the object of discrediting Britain and all things British, and* creating the impression that tho Central Powers were reluctantly compelled to draw tho sword in self-defence. All this is done in accordance with a, care-fully-thought-out scheme.. Ambassadors. Ministers, Consuls, .journalists, hoteikeepers, and private individuals are all playing tho game. Britain cannot adopt the "knavish tricks" to -which our enemies have stooped; but is has como to bs realised that a systematic counter-propaganda must be. established.