Excerpt from book by Carl W. Ackerman

From “The Introduction”.“.....
From the beginning of the war until today, I have been at the strategic points as our relations with Germany developed and came to a climax. (as correspondent for the United Press Associations) I saw Germany outlaw herself. I saw the effects of President Wilson's notes. I saw the anti-American propoganda begin. I saw the Germany of 1915 disappear. I saw the birth of lawless Germany.“In this book I shall try to take the reader from Washington to Berlin and back again, to show the beginning and the end of our diplomatic relations with the German government. I believe President Wilson succeeded in a greater measure by his two years of patience and note-writing in defeating militarism and encouraging freedom of thought in Germany than the Allies did during nearly three years of fighting. President Wilson helped the German people think for themselves, but being children in international affairs, the people soon accepted the inspired thinking of the government. Instead of forcing their opinions upon the rulers until results were evident they chose to follow with blind faith their military gods.“The United States is at war with Germany because the Imperial Government willed it. The United States is at war to aid the movement for Democracy in Germany; to help the German people realize that they must think for themselves. The seeds of democratic thought which Mr. Wilson's notes sowed in Germany as are growing. If the Imperial governmenyt had not frightened the people into a belief that too much thinking would be dangerous for the Fatherland, the United States would not today be at war with the Kaiser's government. Only one thing now will make the people realize that they must think for themselves if they wish to exist as a nation and as a race. That is a military defeat, a defeat on the battlefields of the Kaiser, von Hindenburg and the Rhine Valley industrial interests. Only a decisive defeat will shake the public confidence in the nation's leaders. Only a destroyed German army-leadership will make the people overthrow the group of men who do Germany's thinking today”.
Chapter I deals with the mobilization of public opinion in the United States; with President Wilson's efforts to make peace in 1914 and with his policy as outlined in his address before the American Bar Association in which he said: “The opinion of the world is the mistress of the world”.“Thus at the outset of Mr. Wilson's first administration foreign powers were given to understand that the President believed in the power of public opinion; that he favored publicity as a means of accomplishing what could not be done by confidential negotiations; that he did not believe in annexation and that he was ready at any time to help end the war”.
Chapter II takes up the original von Tirpitz submarine blockade. Arguments against the German contention that the United States was not neutral by permitting arms and amunition to be shipped to the Allies arex presented and proved by my own observations at the front. Germany supplieed Russia and Rumania knowing at the time that if these countries went to war the suppluies would be used against German soldiers.
In the last chapter I expect to discuss the difference between American and European civilization and point out that President Wilson by his attitude during the war has laid a new foundation for international relations.
I shall write this after I have seen the President.