Forged Propaganda

Since governments act very often on the basis of documents, notes, telegrams, cabled messages and written memoranda, why do not unscrupulous propagandists introduce forged documents before the eyes, of statesmen whose minds they seek to influence? They do. Such forgery is constantly practiced, and as constantly guarded against by all responsible governments. Last week the New York World announced that one of its correspondents had become aware in Washington of an adept propaganda forger who made the following proposition:

I) That he would sell for a round sum duplicate copies of numerous forgeries supplied by him to potent clients, many of whom believed that they had bought genuine documents proving whatever it was that they wished to prove.

II) That with these duplicates the newspaper purchasing them could start a series of revelations concerning the source of much "information" reaching the U. S. Government respecting conditions in Mexico.

III) That two notable forgeries accomplished by this man were: 1) a series of "documents" sold by him to U. S. oil interests and by them laid before the Government in. good faith as proving close cooperation between the Mexican Government and the Government of Soviet Russia; 2) a set of "evidence" sold to prominent U. S. Roman Catholics and purporting to prove that a nefarious compact exists between the Ku Klux Klan and the Mexican Government.