VON PAPEN’S PAPERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 34, 10 February 1916, Page 7

VON PAPEN’S PAPERS.

SOME INTERESTING DETAILS.

EVIDENCE OF GERMANY’S DUPLICITY.

LONDON, February 7.

A White Paper issued containing a selection of the papers found on Von Papen, also a facsimile of many cheques. A letter from Disconton (?) GeselIschaft, of Potsdam, to Yon Papen, dated July 25th, 1914, stated that Austria would probably declare war, a postscript adding; “|We have never before seen such preparations for War as at present.” A letter from Berlin, dated September 29th, 1914, signed “Filipino,” requests Von Papen to arrange for wide publicity for certain newspaper articles. The correspondent stated “At first things went off at a giant’s pace. Noav it is such that the Austrians are fighting well, but their leadership is bad. They had to retreat to the Carpathians. The reaction on the Balkans and Italy’s attitude is correspondingly bad, but our troops will pull the matter through 'alright. The war will probably drag over the winter.” Several letters show that H. E. Fox, understood to be the general manager of “Wildman’s Magazine” and news agency, played an important part in the American press campaign. From Berlin, Fox, writing to Von Papen, expressed his conviction that the misunderstanding between the two countries were due to the poor advice and the warped viewpoint of the American embassy.

Price H. Sazefield, of Washington, in an undated latter, told Papen his (Sazefield’s) wife had written to say “Bulgaria will certainly join us after harvest at the end of August, but that Rcumania would remain inactive.” Dumba, writing to Papen on September Ist, 1915, displays some anxiety about the Dardanelles holding out. He added “everything has ended happily. The Washington people already think they hear the bells of peace, but wo haven’t got that length yet.”

Von Papen, it will be remembered, was one of Germany’s accredited representatives in the United States. He was given “safe conduct” from America to Germany, but en route his papers were seized. The revelation cf their contents fully justifies the British action, . ; . • , ■