Samuel Hill Warns of German Propaganda in the Pacific Northwest
Prominent industrialist Samuel Hill claims that 'semi-human' literary pamphlets are being smuggled into the region to undermine American institutions.
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That German literary propaganda designed to prejudice the Russian people against America and American institutions is being carried on in the Pacific Coast states is maintained by Samuel Hill, honorary consul of Belgium for the states of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Books and pamphlets describing the American people as a semi-human race, incapable of accomplishing anything, are being shipped from the interior into ports for circulation. 'It has come to my knowledge,' said Mr. Hill, 'that this propaganda is going out from the interior, and I demand that men of such German leanings be removed from the coast within a few days.' He argued that it is necessary for every loyal American to constitute himself a member of an investigating committee, asserting that in the current climate, there are only two classes of people: patriots and traitors.
“Whatever may have been the feeling in the past, the time has now come when there are only two classes of people in America: patriots and traitors.”
This rhetoric captures the intense paranoia and xenophobia in Washington during World War I. The 'patriots vs. traitors' framing mirrors the historical trend of using national security fears to enforce social homogeneity, a recurring shadow in American civic life.
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