1917 Virtual News Stand: January 1917

Newspaper Headlines (from Chronicling America)

"Germany Views Allied Reply As Flat Peace Refusal," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1 January 1917, Page 1

"Forces of Central Powers Take Rumanian Heights by Storm," The Ogden [Utah] Standard, 1 January 1917, Page 1

January 7 U.S. Congress continues a probe to determine who leaked President Wilson's secret peace plan to Wall Street traders

"Leaks at White House, Spies Hem in President, says Providence Paper" Washington Times, 7 January 1917

"Munitions Blast Spreads Terror Throughout Northern New Jersey" New York Tribune, Friday 12 January 1917, Page 1.

"Du Pont Mill Blast is Felt in 4 States" New York Tribune, Saturday 13 January 1917, Page 1.

Note: Unknown saboteurs set off the Kingsland Explosion at the Dupont armaments factory at Kingsland (modern-day Lyndhurst, New Jersey), on January 11, 1917. This headline is considered one of the main events leading to United States involvement in WWI.

According to the Wikipedia article Kingsland explosion:

"Munitions, including shells, shell cases, shrapnel, and powder were shipped to Kingsland from over 100 different factories. At the foundry they were assembled for shipment to Russia. Since it was producing 3 million shells per month . . . the factory [was] a worthy objective for German saboteurs."

Suspects in the case included German and Austrian nationals Curt Thummel and Theodore Wozniak, who were working at the factory, but no one was ever convicted for causing the explosion. The German government has repeatedly denied responsibility for the Kingsland explosion, but paid more than $50 million in reparations to the United States in order to settle lawsuits brought in the 1950s.

See also "Danger in the Harbor: World War I and the Black Tom Explosion of 1916" January 22, 2016 podcast and photo page

"German Plots" in 1917 New York Times Index at Google Books

"Incendiarism hinted in Big Powder Blast," Washington Times, 13 January 1917

"Blasts caused by one man, U.S. Agents Told," Washington Times, 14 January, 1917

"Tom Lawson Names Chairman Henry As Man Who Told Him of Peace 'Leak' " New York Evening World, 15 January 1917

"Lawson names McAdoo, Pliny Fisk, Senator 'O' " New York Tribune, 16 January 1917

Note: On January 16, 1917 witness Thomas W. Lawson, a Boston financier, testified before the U.S. Congress that Secretary of Treasury William McAdoo, Secretary of State Robert Lansing, German ambassador Johann Bernstorff and Wall Street brokers Bernard Baruch and Paul Warburg gained as much as $2 million dollars from insider trading based on a leak of President Wilson's peace initiative.

"Morgan Is Summoned to Leak Hearing" New York Evening World, 16 January 1917

"German Raider Sinks 20 Ships; 63 Americans on 2 Lost Vessels; Allies Rush Fleet to Danger Zone," New York Tribune, 18 January 1917, Page 1.

"London Blast Killed Fifty," New York Tribune, 21 January 1917, Page 1

Note: The Silvertown Explosion actually took place on 19 January 1917 (it took two days for the news to travel) and killed more than 50 people. See the Wikipedia article Silvertown explosion, which says the blast at a munitions factory in London "killed 73 and injured more than 400. The resulting fire caused over £2,000,000 worth of damage."

See also "Silvertown Explosion 1917" at the 20th Century London website, which provides photos and states that more than 50 tons of TNT were detonated at Silvertown, which is south of the Royal Victoria docks on the Thames river -- one of the largest explosions ever in the history of the city of London.

January 22 – WWI: President of the United States Woodrow Wilson calls for "peace without victory" in Germany.

"Wilson Outlines Plans in Senate to Maintain Peace by League of All Nations" Washington Times, 22 January 1917

"Senate in Bitter Debate on Peace Speech by Wilson" Washington Times, 24 January 1917

"Borah Strikes at President's Peace Plans: Offers Resolution in Senate Opposing Alliances with European Powers," Washington Times, 25 January 1917

January 25 WWI: British armed merchantman SS Laurentic is sunk by mines off Lough Swilly (Ireland) with the loss of 354 of the 475 aboard.

An anti-prostitution drive in San Francisco occurs and police close about 200 prostitution houses.

"Kaiser Renews Verdun Attack: Desperate Fighting Marks New Clash on Blood-soaked Ground" Washington Times, 26 January 1917

January 28 – The United States ends its search for Pancho Villa.

"Pershing Now on Way Out of Mexico," Washington Times, 28 January 1917

January 30 – Pershing's troops in Mexico begin withdrawing back to the United States. They reach Columbus, New Mexico, on February 5.

"Baruch Admits Profits of $476,168 But He Denies All Knowledge of Leak," Washington Times, 30 January 1917