The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective LeagueHough, Emerson
History
The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective League
Hough, Emerson
American Protective League; Propaganda, German; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- United States
There was no way, shape nor manner in which Germany did not endeavor
to embarrass us. She had, besides her carefully trained public
speakers, her secret workers who had assigned to them definite
objectives. For instance, it was known that the negro race would
furnish a considerable number of soldiers for our army. A very wide
German propaganda existed among the negroes in Georgia and Carolina,
and in such northern cities as Indianapolis, where large numbers of
that race were located. A certain German was indicted under seven
counts for this manner of activity. It was proved that he had told a
great many negro privates in the army that they would be mutilated
if captured, and that they were going to starve to death in France
if they ever got across. The horrors of war with the American forces
were pointed out to these simple people; but, on the other hand it was
explained to them that if they would work for the German interests,
they would be allowed to set up a government of their own in America
if Germany won the war! They were told Germany loved the negroes and
believed in their equality with the white race in every way, and
would support their government when once her war was won! One such
secret German worker among colored soldiers and civilians was M. F——
of New York, indicted under seven counts in June, 1918, under the new
Espionage Law. F—— put out much the same story to frighten the negroes
and make them discontented—wholesale mutilation at the hands of Germans
if they were captured in France. He declared that their eyes would
be gouged out and their ears cut off. He also said that Germany was
allowing our transports to reach Europe unharmed because she wanted a
lot of Americans in France, where, after cutting off their supplies,
she intended to starve them all to death.
This looks like making out a bad case for Germany—but softly. F—— also
said that, on the other hand, Germany did not want to kill the negroes
if they would not fight; that if only they would work for Germany’s
interests, they should have their own country and their own government.
Stories like this were circulated in the South and among cities in the
North with a heavy negro population. F—— was the first propagandist to
be caught with the goods. He was talking much with colored privates in
the draft army.
Of course, a prime object of propaganda was to obstruct the draft and
to prevent the shipment of munitions. It largely failed, as everyone
knows. But still it cannot be said that Germany did not invest such
money well as she spent on her secret pro-German propaganda in America.
She knew that she had ruined Russia by propaganda. We might further
have learned the danger of propaganda as a weapon had we heard the
rumor that Germany herself had her collapse hastened by propaganda
which Great Britain managed to spread among her people. It is a matter
of history that German propaganda caused the Italian debacle in the
first Austrian advance into Italy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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