“In March, 1915, the J.P. Morgan interest, the steel, shipbuilding, and power interests, and the subsidiary organization, got together 12 men high up in the newspaper world and employed them to select the most influential newspapers in the United States and sufficient number of them to control generally the policy of the daily press… They found it was only necessary to purchase the control of 25 of the greatest papers… An agreement was reached; the policy of the papers was bought, to be paid for by the month; an editor was furnished for each paper to properly supervise and edit information regarding the questions of preparedness, militarism, financial policies, and other things of national and international nature considered vital to the interests of the purchasers.” [Congressional Record, Vol. 54, Feb. 9, 1917, p. 2947]
Even after an increasing number of editorials began to denounce Germany after this date, opinion polls still showed American citizens ten to one against involvement in the war. The amount of wars in US history have risen dramatically since the creation of JP Morgan's Federal Reserve in 1913.
Under the Cruiser Rules, both England and Germany gave the crew of unarmed enemy merchant ships a chance to take the lifeboats before sinking them. On October 14th, 1914, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill issued orders that British merchant ships must no longer obey orders from German submarines to be halted and searched. If they had armaments, they were to engage the enemy. If not, they were suggested to attempt and ram the sub. Germans subs then began to remain submerged for protection or sink the enemy ship.
To further increase the likelihood of the accidental sinking of a neutral ship, Churchill ordered British ships to remove their names from the hull, and when in port, to fly the flag of a neutral country, preferably the US. He added that prisoners from German submarines should be treated as felons and not as war prisoners. They “should be taken prisoner or shot – whichever was most convenient”. He even claimed that white flags of truce should be fired upon. The German navy was then goaded into a position of shoot-first ask questions later, which would inevitably harm American citizens.
The German Embassy in Washington knew the Lusitania was carrying war material and American passengers. They filed a complaint with the US government because this was a direct violation of international neutrality treaties. They attempted to place ads in fifty East Coast newspapers, warning Americans not to board the Lusitania. The US State Department threatened the newspapers with libel suits and all except one ran the ad on the specified date.
The owner of the paper, George Viereck, spent April 26th trying to get the State Department to clear the ad. He spoke with Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, who promised he would try to persuade President Wilson to warn Americans not to board the Lusitania. On the day Wilson was told that it was sunk, he admitted that his foreknowledge had given him many sleepless hours.
Col. House was in London May 7, 1915, the day the Lusitania was sunk. He was scheduled to have an appointment with King George four hours before the Lusitania was sunk. Lord Edward Gray came to take Col. House to appointment with King George. While traveling, Lord Gray asked, “What will America do if the Germans sink an ocean liner with American passengers on board?” Col. House answered, “If this were done, a flame of indignation would sweep America, which would in itself probably carry us into the war.”
On May 1st, the Lusitania left New York carrying 600 tons of explosive three times more powerful than gunpowder, six million rounds of ammunition, 1,248 cases of shrapnel shells and other munitions. She was to rendezvous with the British destroyer Juno just off the coast of Ireland as to have protection as she entered hostile waters. The Lusitania reached the rendezvous point, only to find that Juno had been called back to port for an “emergency”. She was ordered to run at 75% power because it would be less expensive (and easier to hit)
Commander Joseph Kenworthy had been asked by Churchill to write a paper on the political result of an ocean liner being sunk with American passengers aboard. Commander Kenworthy wrote in his 1928 book, The Freedom of the Seas, “The Lusitania was sent at considerably reduced speed into an area where a U-boat was known to be waiting and with her escorts withdrawn.”
After the Lusitania was sunk, Col. House sent a telegram to President Wilson. The telegram became the genesis for thousands of editorials throughout America. In the telegram, Col. House said:
“America has come to the parting of the ways, when she must determine whether we stand for civilized or uncivilized warfare. We can no longer remain neutral spectators. Our action in this crisis will determine the part we will play when peace is made, and how far we may influence a settlement for the lasting good of humanity. We are being weighed in the balance, and our position amongst nations is being assessed by mankind.”
The press all over the nation took up the cry for war after the Lusitania was sunk. Congress could not resist the combined pressure of the press and the President. On April 16, 1917, the U.S. officially declared war. Eight days later, Congress passed the War.
7thdirection
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