ad allowed "If I Were Wilson," to appear. But a
vigilant Government, ever watchful of the food for the minds of its
children, hastened with the usual police methods to correct the
mistake. The _Zukunft_ was _beschlagnahmt_, which means that the
police hastily gathered up all unsold copies at the publishers,
kiosks, and wherever else they were to be found. If a policeman
saw one in a man's pocket he took it away.

Why did the Government do everything in its power to suppress this
article? The Government fully understood that there was nothing in
it that was not true, nothing in it of a revolutionary character.
It divulged no military or naval secrets. It was a simple
statement of political truths. But the German great Idea Factory
in the Wilhelmstrasse does not judge printed matter from its truth
or falsity. The forming of the public mind in the mould in which
it will best serve the interests of the State is the sole
consideration. While the Directors of Thought were deliberating on
the relative disadvantages of a curtailment of submarine activity
and America as an enemy, and the order of the day was to instill
hatred, no matter how, they decided that it would be inadvisable
for the people to read the true statements of Harden.

One American correspondent began to cable five thousand words of
"If I Were Wilson" to his paper. The Censor stopped him after he
had sent thirteen hundred. A rival correspondent, when he glanced
at the article immediately after it had appeared, decided that it
was more suitable for mail matter than cable matter, put it in an
envelope, and actually scored a scoop over all opponents.

During the following days, when the leaders of Germany were in
conference at the Headquarters of the General Staff, I travelled as
much as possible to find out German sentiment. The people were
intoxicated with the successes against Verdun, and were angrily in
favour of a break. One German editor said to me "The Government
has educated them to believe that the U-boat can win the war.
Their belief is so firm that it will be difficult for the
authorities to explain a backdown to Wilson."

It was not. The Government can explain anything to the German
people. The back-down came, causing sentiments which can be
divided into three groups. One, "We were very good to give in to
America. England would not be so good." Two, "Americans put us in
a bad position. To curtail our submarine weapon means a
len