"I am instructed to get four kinds of pictures," he explained.
"(1) Pictures which show German patriotism and unity. (2) Pictures
which show German organisation and efficiency. (3) Pictures which
show evidence of humanity in the German Army. (4) Pictures which
show destruction by the enemy. Some of my pictures are kept by the
_Kriegsministerium_ for purposes of studying the war. The greater
part, however, are used for propaganda both at home and abroad.
Furthermore, I must be careful to keep an accurate record of what
each picture is. The pictures are then arranged and given suitable
titles in Berlin,"


I thought of all this in the London display-room when the familiar
picture of the ruined church flashed before my eyes with the title
_Beautiful Church at Allenburg Destroyed by the Russians_--a
deliberate lie on the film.

I have nothing to say against the Germans for knocking their own
town to pieces or against the British and French for knocking
French towns to pieces. That is one of the misfortunes of war.

The point is, that the propaganda department of the Wilhelmstrasse
fully understands that people who do not see the war, especially
neutrals, are shocked at the destruction of churches. The Germans
have been taught an unpleasant lesson in this in the case of
Rheims. Therefore they answer by falsifying a film when it suits
their purpose with just as little compunction as they repudiate
promises.

"A little thing!" you might say.