A HUN PLOT LAID BARE

Dominion, 14 August 1919, Page 6

A HUN PLOT LAID BARE

VAST RUSSIAN BID

SOFT-SOAPING THE BRITISH

(By Wythe Williams, in tho "Daily

Mail.") Germany is beaten militarily, and she knows it. It is a falso idea that she may regain strength to attack Great Britain or France. When she strikes again it will be in quite a different fashion. Already she is preparing, 'lhe organisers of the new offensive are tho tonne crowd who ran tho old Germany, who did not suffer,' who paid nothing, but who still want millions for .reward. In brief, the present higher Genniin idea is to split the Entente botween Great Britain and France, and then go after Bussin. The United States is not considered for the moment, but with liussia again enchained the. course of tho Teutonic Empiro would again be set toward tho New World. Tho weapons this time will not bo.cannon, but business. Every propagandist, every spy will work into tho new channels. Every wan, -woman, mid child will train every energy to drag the Fatherland from tli9 slough, again to menace tho world. Since early in tho armistice sentinels for the higher Germans lhavo been on post. In the Hotel Adkm, Berlin, there is always a certain man, apparently coin" nothing. Hβ is about 36 years old, is entirely liatd, and gives every visitor an apparently vacant stare througn a thick monocle. In reality he is there to become acquainted with Entente journalists and members of the Allied ™litary missions. Hβ is one of the richest men in Germany. He bears the military title of B-ittmcister. or e captain of hussars. During the war he was aide-de-camp to thn Crown Prince. Now he is aide to Noske, and others-in mufti. His name is Arnold Kechberg. Eechberg has a sdheme. Briefly it is an invitation to British industry to come to Germany, and for one third profits take hold of German industry, conduct it, get it on its feet, and in the plaintive language of the scheme ltsell "save it from Bolshevism." liechberg knows everybody. I soon discovered that both !he and his scheme were in friendly contact with such men as Bernstorft, Brockdorff-Bant7.au and hie twin brother; Her.r Noske, and his military brain Captain Pabst; General Hoffmann of BrestLitovak reputation; Hjalmar Schadir, president of the German National Bank: many Government officials, and above all with the big business interests. Aside from his scheme Bechberg had another topic that he constantly harped upon. Would some peat British newspaper proprietor, preferably lord Northcliffe, make a visit to Berlin? Or it the trip into Germany were deemed unwise, why not, then, arrange a meeting at tho Hague. There a party of representative liighei; Germans would be glad to go at any time. Meanwhile I had been trying to get in touch with the big business interests on my own account. I had lonj suspected that this Eechtiere scheme was only a part of what it seemed. Eehind the Scenes. It had been trustworthily reported to me that several of tfne 'bigffeat GerinaD induatriicbi leaders were in clos3 touch with, Moscow, preparing to compromise in case Spartacism gained the upper hand in Berlin, and to pass the real brand of Bolshevism on to , the Entento armies guarding the Bhine. The most prominent names mentioned were Hugo Stinncs, the coal-king of tho Bhur, and Walther Bathenau, of the General Electric Company.

Old Eniil Eathenau was tho "A.E.G.," as tho General Electric Company is known in Germany. Compared with the father, Walther Bathenau is only the president of the company. There is another man in "A.E.G." quite as important nt any Kathenau. This man has no title. He docs not'need one, for lie is the "A.E.G." to-day. In the days of tho Empire he was the greatest agent for Gorman trade abroad. H<? was the general manager of all "A.E.G," foreign bugine-6 to the farthest corners of the earth. Ho was_probably better known in Britain, the United States, and tho Argentine than in Borfin. That is why lie is the "A.E.G." to-day, for it is the outer world that counts, and this ie the man who knows it. His name is ■!. Hamspohn. I wes invited to visit Hamspohn at his vilila on the Wimnsse, Potsdam. I refused. A second invitation nuns to. meet him in tho offices of the "AE.G." I accepted. , Eeohberg was the arranger. First Hamspohn told me, as they nil do, of his bitter grief that the war should have happened. Next, the story of his Ion? Berlin exile during thev conflict, cut off from all his English friends. Then ho was inspired to mention his owu sood deeds. Ono in particular was Ms care for an English : prisoner, the officer son of the co-director of a London corporation. That was the sort he was, and is, and now—and now—what is the matter with tho Entente that they cannot bury their hate and start the old world joking on the light course onco njow? It was powerful, impressive argument. I tad to force myself to remember. I accepted an invitation to (luncheon ,next day at Hiller?- in Unter-den-Linden .Hiding away from the "A.E.G." Rechbarc became talkative. He said he hoped much would result from this ccmin.'* luncheon. Ho told me Hamspohn had already received a visit in Berlin from ope of hie great BngHsh colleagues a fortnight (before, and now nil that was needed was to win over the Prcs*. I nsked who the Engishman was.' I did not expect 'him to tell me, but he did. He made a mistake.

Millions Made Roohberg called for me, and we arrived at the Testaurant to find everything ready in a small, private dining-room. Hanispohn was, waiting, with another man. It was a magnificent luncheon. Hamspohn opened up. He said wo four were sitting there, three Germans and an 1-ntente journalist, because wo "really had the same opinions on the situation. I permitted him to think so without reply. ■ He then put his cards faco up on the table. ' He knew that I had talked with Bernstorif and the othersNoske, Hoffmann, Schacht. Well, they were a part of the combination, ench iii his appointed role, and the scheme that I have stated at the beginning of this articlo was made clear. Ho told mo a dozen instanoes how he and tho "A.E.G." and other Germane had beaten Prance in business before tho war and they would do it again. They had no respect for France commercially, and they would show her no quarter—but in tho present difficult, embarrassing circumstances for the Fnthorland, it was necessary to have tho dull but worthy British with them. First necessity in this regard was to win tho British Press, preferably flie Northclifi'o Press, inasmuch as it had hated the Iwst during the war, it could now do the best in effecting the rapproohement. Millions, perhaps thousands of millions would be tho final reward; There were all the German contracts in Russia—good iron-clad contracts, except for tho "present situaMines, railways—comploto reconstruction of the transport system in Moscow. Britain was to permit Germany to got in, and, I quote- his exact words, "tho millions will be placed upon tho tablfl for equal division." Hβ insisted over and over again that nono of this interested him for the "snko of tho money." He already had plenty. It was merely the joy in accomplishing great deeds, and knowing they woro well done. None could do them so well :i« tho Germans, with tho English—but if tho English would not agree, then, alns, probably tho awful Americans would get there first.

Only once was Hamspohn completely off big guard. It was when the suggestion came that possibly the British would refuse any overtures. Then tho geniality faded completely from his face, 'i'lisre jvns a hard, repelling glint in his eyp«. His heavy fist crashed on tho table. His words convinced me concerning tho sinister renort I had on Walther Kathounu. Ho said:

"If we can't make peace and proceed alom; these lines, then I assure you that Bolshevism will como to France, ami uossiblv to England, worse than it did lo Jtn^in."

There are r.n witnesses for mn as to anythint Ilmt I have written. Jliinis"ohii nlt'piiiled to Hint. I have not mentioned the fourth man k>. nlrcnn'nncn at the lnncheon. I have his card in my nocki't. His name is SiEivimd. Count '''in Brnc!:(lorff, cousin to the Foreign Minister of Germany, who headed the peace delegation to Versailles.