CHAPTER X
AMBASSADOR DUMBA, GERMANY’S CO-CONSPIRATOR
“If I wanted to flatter the American people, I would make a statement before my departure, but I say nothing.”
This was the sentiment of Dr. Constantin Theodor Dumba, veteran diplomat and Austro-Hungarian Ambassador at Washington, just after he had received his passports from Secretary of State Lansing. He was dismissed from this country in September, 1915, because of his pro-Teutonic activities, which were adjudged by the State Department to amount to interference with the internal affairs of the nation.
The diplomat, regarded at the time as the ablest in Washington, did not relish the notoriety of being the ninth diplomat to be expelled from America; and, when questioned by reporters on the eve of his departure, he revealed the acrid feeling regarding Americans which his wonted suavity and self-control hitherto had enabled him to conceal. The next day, however, he did unbend to the extent of saying something about “wonderful United States”—and then sailed away.
Dumba, master of intrigue and remorseless in the attempted execution of any scheme that he regarded as beneficial to the welfare of his country, had been the supervising authority of the Austro-Hungarian espionage system in America, which was linked almost chain for chain with the German machinery. The joint activity of the German and the Austrian organizations was aimed at the same end as those described in connection with the duties of the German agents and their executives. He had as his active assistants, Baron Erich Zwiedinek von Sudenhorst, counsellor to the Austrian Embassy, and after the dismissal of Dumba, Chargé d’Affaires; Dr. Alexander Nuber von Pereked, Consul-General in New York, and several other Austrian consuls throughout the country. He is said to have been the originating genius of many of the ideas which the German agents tried to put into effect.
The charges against him are based on a series of exposures concerning the secret propaganda in which Dr. Dumba participated and concerning which evidence was gathered by the Secret Service and the Department of Justice. They rest on secret diplomatic messages which Dr. Dumba wrote and entrusted to Captain James F. J. Archibald, an American, travelling in August, 1915, on the steamship Rotterdam for Holland, whence he expected to confer with the Foreign Offices of both Germany and Austro-Hungary. Those documents were captured by the British and turned over to the American authorities. They expose much the same sort of illicit activity as set forth in German documents.
MORE PASSPORT FRAUDS
Attorney-General Gregory caused a thorough investigation of these documents and also of von Nuber’s office in New York. Many consular employees were taken before the Grand Jury and practically every member of the Consulate, excepting von Nuber and his immediate associates, was rounded up one night in the office of Superintendent Offley in New York. They were questioned, and they gave much information.
Baron Zwiedinek was a busy person at the summer Embassy at Manchester-by-the-Sea after the outbreak of the war. Hundreds of Austro-Hungarian reservists were bobbing up at various consulates and registering, eager for directions and for means of getting back to their country. Evidently, these matters came under his jurisdiction, for he wrote the following letter to von Nuber:
“On the 21st inst. the Imperial and Royal Embassy received the following telegram from the Imperial and Royal Consulate in San Francisco:
“‘Nine employees arrived here on the steamer Yokohama seek transportation New York at expense of State. Beg for telegraphic instruction whether Consulate should pay travelling expenses. Stay here would cause embarrassment.’
“The Embassy has instructed the Consular office mentioned to send these employees to New York. Thereupon the following telegram of the 22nd arrived:
“‘Attaché Hanenschild, Interpreter Nanternatz, Embassy, Tokio, as well as six employees, journeyed onward.’
“Since the Imperial and Royal Embassy is of the opinion that it is a patriotic duty of the reservists to do their utmost to reach the monarchy, will the Imperial and Royal Consulate please make all efforts in this connection to discover the proper transportation facilities for these employees who are shortly to arrive. Perhaps it would be possible also to produce suitable passports of neutral countries at comparatively slight expense.
“Concerning that which is done in this connection please report in due time.
“For the Imperial and Royal Embassy,
When that letter was shown to Baron Zwiedinek by Secretary of State Lansing, he admitted the authenticity of the signature, but denied he remembered anything of its contents. He explained that it was probably dictated by a clerk, and that in his haste he signed it without reading it. He also disclaimed any responsibility for it on the ground that Dr. Dumba was at the date of the letter the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador.
MUNITION PLOTS
Part of the schemes considered and recommended by Ambassador Dumba to prevent the exportation of war munitions from the United States is set forth in the secret communications which he gave to Captain Archibald to carry to Baron Burian, Austrian Foreign Minister. The first document discusses the diplomatic efforts that have been made toward that end, deprecates the arguments put forth by the State Department in declining to take any action to forbid the export of war munitions.
“The true ground for the discouraging attitude of the President,” wrote Dumba, “lies, as his confidant, Colonel House, already informed me in January, and has now repeated, in the fact that authoritative circles are convinced that the United States in any serious crisis would have to rely on foreign neutral countries for all their war material. At no price, and in no case, will President Wilson allow this source to dry up.
“For this reason I am of the opinion that to return to the question whether by a reply from your Excellency or by a semi-official conversation between myself and the Secretary of State would not only be useless, but even, having regard for the somewhat self-willed temperament of the President, would be harmful.”
Dr. Dumba’s plans for causing strikes in munition factories in the United States are related by himself in the following official document which he sent to Baron Burian:
“Your Excellency: Yesterday evening Consul General von Nuber received the enclosed aide mémoire from the chief editor of the local influential paper Szabadsag, after a previous conversation with me in pursuance of his verbal proposals to arrange for strikes at Bethlehem in Schwab’s steel and munitions factory and also in the Middle West.
“Archibald, who is well known to your Excellency, leaves to-day at twelve o’clock on board the Rotterdam for Berlin and Vienna. I take this rare and safe opportunity of warmly recommending these proposals to your Excellency’s favourable consideration. It is my impression that we can disorganize and hold up for months, if not entirely prevent, the manufacture of munitions in Bethlehem and the Middle West, which, in the opinion of the German military attaché, is of great importance and amply outweighs the comparatively small expenditure of money involved.
“But even if strikes do not come off, it is probable that we should extort under pressure more favourable conditions of labour for our poorly down-trodden fellow-countrymen in Bethlehem. These white slaves are now working twelve hours a day, seven days a week. All weak persons succumb and become consumptive. So far as German workmen are found among the skilled hands means of leaving will be provided immediately for them. Besides this, a private German registry office has been established which provides employment for persons who voluntarily have given up their places. It already is working well. We shall also join in and the widest support is assured us.
“I beg your Excellency to be so good as to inform me with reference to this letter by wireless. Reply whether you agree. I remain, with great haste and respect,
PLANS FOR STRIKERS
The enclosure, or “aide mémoire,” written in Hungarian, outlines the scheme which the diplomat recommended.
“I must divide the matter into two parts, Bethlehem and the Middle West business” (says this paper), “but the point of the departure is common in both, viz., press agitation, which is of the greatest importance as regards our Hungarian-American workmen. It means a press through which we can reach both in Bethlehem and in the West. In my opinion we must start a very strong agitation on this question in Freedom (Szabadsag), the leading organ, in respect to the Bethlehem works and the conditions there. This can be done in two ways and both must be utilized.
“In the first place, the regular daily section must be devoted to the conditions obtaining there, and a campaign must be regularly conducted against these indescribably degrading conditions. Freedom already has done something similar in the recent past, when the strike movement began at Bridgeport. It must necessarily take the form of strong, deliberate, decided and courageous action.
“Secondly, the writer of these lines would begin a labour novel in that newspaper much on the lines of Sinclair’s celebrated story. This might be published in other local Hungarian, Slovak and German newspapers. The Nepszava (‘Word of the People’) will undoubtedly be compelled willingly or unwillingly to follow the movement initiated by Freedom, for it is pleasing the entire Hungarian element in America, and is an absolutely patriotic act to which that open journal, the Nepszava, could not adopt a hostile attitude. Of course, it would be another question to what extent and with what energy and devotion that newspaper would adhere to this course of action without regard to other influences, just as it is questionable to what extent other local patriotic papers would go. There is a great reason why, in spite of their patriotism, American-Hungarian papers hitherto have shrunk from initiating such action.
“In these circumstances the first necessity is money.
“Bethlehem must be sent as many reliable Hungarian and German workmen as we can lay our hands on, who will join the factories and begin their work in secret among their fellow workmen. For this purpose I have my men, roll-turners and steel workers. We must send an organizer who in the interests of the union will begin the business in his own way. We must also send so-called ‘soap-box’ orators who will know how to start a useful agitation. We shall want money for popular meetings, possibly for organizing picnics. In general, the same applies to the Middle West. I am thinking of Pittsburg and Cleveland in the first instance, as to which I could give details only if I were to return and spend at least a few days there. I already have shown that much can be done with the newspapers. We must stir up the men’s feelings in Bethlehem. A sensation was caused by the articles which appeared at the time of the strike at Bridgeport. They brought Bethlehem into the affair.
“It is evident that the start of a movement from which serious results are to be expected requires a sufficiency of money at the very start. The extent of subsequent expenditure for the most part depends on the work effected. For example, the newspapers must not receive the whole sum intended for them all at once, but only half. To union agitators only a certain amount should be given at first, and a larger sum in case of success or of a serious strike on the formation of the union. It is my opinion that for the special object of starting the Bethlehem business and the Bethlehem and Western newspapers campaign $15,000 to $20,000 must be at our disposal, but it is not possible to reckon how much ultimately will be required.
“When a beginning has been made, it will be possible to see how things develop and where and how much it will be worth while to spend. The above-mentioned preliminary sum would suffice partially to satisfy the demands of the necessary newspapers and to a considerable extent those of the Bethlehem campaign. If circumstances are lucky and leadership is good, we can arrive at positive results in the West comparatively cheaply, whereas Bethlehem is one of the most difficult jobs.
“I will telephone at 8 a.m., and request you then to let me know where and when I can learn your opinion of my proposal, which requires a considerable amount of verbal exposition. Finally, I make bold to point out the fact that hitherto I have said nothing on the subject to any one connected with the newspapers, and am in the fortunate position that in the case of giving effect to the plan I can make use of names in case of necessity, for I have already in other matters made payments through other individuals. In any event, in the case of the newspapers the greatest circumspection is necessary. No one but the proprietor must know that money is coming to the undertaking from any source.”
EXIT DUMBA
Following the receipt of those documents by the State Department, Dr. Dumba and Secretary Lansing were in conference. The Ambassador admitted he had written the letter, and had consigned it to the care of Captain Archibald. He defended his course on the ground that he was under orders from his home government, and that he wished to prevent Austro-Hungarian workmen from committing high treason by helping turn out munitions for the Allies. President Wilson, however, insisted on the Ambassador’s recall, and Secretary Lansing, in his note to Austro-Hungary, made these charges against Dr. Dumba:
“By reason of the admitted purpose and intent of Mr. Dumba to conspire to cripple legitimate industries of the United States and to interrupt their legitimate trade, and by reason of the flagrant violation of diplomatic propriety in employing an American citizen, protected by an American passport, as a secret bearer of official despatches through the lines of the enemy of Austria-Hungary, the President directs us to inform your Excellency that Mr. Dumba is no longer acceptable to the Government of the United States as the Ambassador of his Imperial Majesty at Washington.”
After the departure of Dr. Dumba, Baron Zwiedinek and von Nuber began a series of advertisements in racial newspapers, calling the subjects of Austria-Hungary out of the munition factories. If any workman wrote him regarding the matter, he sent a reply, in which he said: “It is demanded that patriotism, no less than the fear of punishment, should cause every one to quit his work immediately.”