BERNHARDI IN AMERICA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1377, 23 March 1915, Page 4

BERNHARDI IN AMERICA.

CANADIAN DISCLOSURE. Hie Toronto Globe of November, 26th makes tho following interesting announcement concerning General Bernhard i;—

‘Tn the early summer of last year General Friedrich Von Bcrnhardi, tho famous German cavalry officer and military authority, crossed the United States. Ho came by way of the Pacific. His coming was unheralded. His speeches wore unreported. His going was unchroncled. No Ainercan newspaper ‘played-np’ tho visit of one of the most talked-of Germans in the world to-dav. His new book, “Germany and the Next War,’ was publishcd early in 1912, when he was on this world tour. A copy of it reached him bv mail at Singapore. In the United States he was tho guest of the German Consuls. His addresses were in German, to Germans invited individually by the Consul. His mission was to advise Germans in the various centres ot the purpose, the plans, and tho rightness of the then impending war that now ‘staggers tho world.’ Ho told its story, tho essentials of its programme, the year before it began. ‘These things the Globe learned since the war broke out, and on two occasions they were referred to editorially. But no details were given. No names or places or dates were mentioned. Of the facts there could he no doubt. San Francisco was believed to he the place of Rernhardi’s arrival, and New York the port of departure, it is now possible to fill in important details.”

On Mondav of tliis week the editor of the Globe ‘met Dr. David Starr dordan. and as ho is a distinguished Californian, the chancellor of I,eland Stanford University, and a groat student of international problems, the fact ol Bernliardiks mission to America was mentioned. Dr, .lordan’s answer was in substance as follows; ‘‘l met Von Bernlmrdi in San Francisco, and hoard him give an address on May 26th. 1913. .just as 1 was leaving for Europe, Germany, the. Balkans, and Australia. The invitation was from the German consul in San Francisco. It was on the official paper of the consul’s otiico. The gathering was composed of about 300 persons, all Germans except one other American and myself. The consul presided, and the meeting was semi-official but private. So far as I know there was no reporter present, and no report was published. I would not have known that the German cavalry general was in America except for that meeting. He went to Los Angelos for a similar gathering, then to St. Louis, and eastern centres of German population. I understood he came over from Japan.” “Ur. Jordan described Bernhardi as tall, spare, very erect, his beard streaked with grey, his head .straight in the hack, a typical heel-clicking Prussian of’rieer of 6o or 70, very aggressive in his manner, hut as a speaker rather prosy. He read his address, which followed the arguments of his book —the historical, psychological, and biological arguments for war. Asked as to Bernhardi’s mission and purpose, Dr. Jordan said ;

“Bornhardi’s mission was to Germans in America. His very evident purpose was to neutralise the policy of goodwill among the nationalities represented in our population, to counteract the work for international peace, to prepare the Germans for the coming war, winch, ho said, was both inevitable and near, and to convince them that Germany’s idea of war is righteous, and that’ this particular war was thoroughly well planned, and would he carried out to the greatness and glory of the German Empire. “Very unmistakable were his references to the planned march through Belgium and the taking of Baris. He did not mince matters. Questions of morals, of international treaties, of national rights, he brushed aside. ‘Law.’ he said, ‘is a makeshift; the reality is force. Law is for weaklings; force is for strong men. and strong nations.’ “Perhaps his chief purpose was to advise Germans in the United States that Britain, not France, is in Germany’s way, that Britain would soon ho reached| and reached by Germany’s war.

"Beruhardi’s address was a little more unreserved, more brutally Inink than bis book. His work was part of tlie campaign to organise German opinion in the United States, and to separate it from American opinion. That campaign was begun here lo years ago bv Professor Karl Lampreeht, of Leipzig. The same campaign has been carried on in Brazil, only much more openly. Its note was strukc by General Keim in Germany, who preached tlie doctrines of Faith. Hope, and Hate. Belgium was to bo ipvaded for the purpose of securing Antwerp and other naval bases from which to strike. Britain. When I beard Bcrnhardi I thought his words those of another of the war-mad militarists. When I was in Germany last August, and saw his plan of campaign adopted by the German army. I know he spoke for the general stall, and that they they are all victims of the same, madness.”

“When asked his opinion of the justice of the Allies’ cause, Dr. Jordan answered‘When I road ‘Germany and the Next War,’ before meeting its author, I said that if Germany really adopted Bernhardt's views, Europe would have to crush it out as a nest of snakes. Germany is now tlying to carrv out those views, and there can be no peace or safety until the snakes and the whole system that has produced them are utterly crushed out’ ”