ked me to reply.

This feeling, this desire to know why Germany was regarded as an outlawed
nation, was not present in Germany early in 1915 when I arrived. In
February, 1915, people were confident. They were satisfied with the
progress of the war. They knew the Allies hated them and they returned
the hate and did not care. But between February, 1915, and November,
1916, a great change took place. On my first trip to the front in April,
1915, I heard of no officers or men shedding tears because the Allies
hated them.

When I sailed from New York two years ago it seemed to me that sentiment
in the United States was about equally divided; that most people favoured
neutrality, even a majority of those who supported the Entente. The
feeling of sympathy which so many thousands of Americans had for Germany
I could, at that time, readily understand, because I myself was
sympathetic. I felt that Germany had not had a fighting chance with
public opinion in the United States.

[Illustration: AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE BERLIN "DEUTSCHE TAGES-ZEITUNG"
FOR THE BOOK--"PRESIDENT BLUFF" MEANING PRESIDENT WILSON]

I could not believe that all the charges against Germany applied to the
German people. Although it was difficult to understand what Germany had
done in Belgium, although it was evident and admitted by the Chancellor
that Germany violated the neutrality of that country, I could not believe
that a nation, which before the war had such a high standing in science
and commerce, could have plotted or desired such a tremendous war as
swept Europe in 1914.

When I arrived in Berlin on March 17, 1915, and met German officials and
people for the first time, I was impressed by their sincerity, their
honesty and their belief that the Government did not cause the war and
was fighting to defend the nation. At the theatre I saw performances of
Shakespeare, which were among the best I had ever seen. I marvelled at
the wonderful modern hospitals and at the efficiency and organisation of
the Government. I marvelled at the expert ways in which prison camps
were administered. I was surprised to find railroad trains clean and
punctual. It seemed to me as if Germany was a nation which had reached
the height of perfection and that it was honestly and conscientiously
defending itself against the group of powers which desired its
destruction.

For over a year I entered enthusiastically into the work of interpreting
and presenting this