re published in the German newspapers the Government always
published an official explanation, or correspondents were inspired to
write the Government views, so the people could not think for themselves
or come to honest personal conclusions.

The effectiveness of Mr. Wilson's diplomacy against Germany was decreased
by some German-Americans, and the fact that the United States is to-day
at war with Germany is due to this blundering on the behalf of some of
those over-zealous citizens who, being so anxious to aid Germany, became
anti-Wilson and in the long run defeated what they set out to accomplish.
Had the German Government not been assured by some German-Americans that
they would never permit President Wilson to break diplomatic relations or
go to war, had these self-appointed envoys stayed away from Berlin, the
relations between the United States and Germany might to-day be different
than they are. Because if Germany at the outset of the submarine
negotiations had been given the impression by a united America that the
President spoke for the country, Germany would undoubtedly have given up
all hope of a ruthless submarine warfare.

I think President Wilson and Mr. Gerard realised that the activities of
the German-Americans here were not only interfering with the diplomatic
negotiations but that the German-Americans were acting against their own
best interests if they really desired peace with Germany.

When some of the President's friends saw that the German people were
receiving such biased news from the United States and that Germany had no
opportunity of learning the real sentiment here, nor of sounding the
depth of American indignation over the _Lusitania_ they endeavoured to
get despatches from the United States to Germany to enlighten the people.
Mr. Roy W. Howard, President of the United Press, endeavoured several
times while I was in Berlin to get unadulterated American news in the
German newspapers, but the German Government was not overly anxious to
have such information published. It was too busy encouraging the
anti-American sentiment for the purpose of frightening the United States.
It was difficult, too, for the United Press to get the necessary
co-operation in the United States for this news service. After the
settlement of the _Sussex_ dispute the Democratic newspapers of Germany,
those which were supporting the Chancellor, were anxious to receive
reports from here, but the German Foreign Office