The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-04-24
MILLIONS OF MONEY
FOR SECRET SERVICE
The Cost Of Spy Systems Of
European Governments Z
Is Enormous.
SCIENTIFIC GERMAN WAY
Much More Complete Than English
Governments Watch Each Other
Closely, Especially Germany,
Russia and England.

on the continent are organized on a
scale of cost and efficiency undreamed
of in the United States.
In Russia the secret police employ a.
considerable number OF agents, both
male and female, who are resident in
England. Some Of these paid agents,
or spies, are people we'll known in So
ciety.
Their duties vary from diplomatic
work Of the highest delicacy to the col
lection of newspaper cuttings.
One Of the points attended to by the
Russian secret service is the record of
every English puullc man who speaks
or writes about Russia.
On one occasion the present writer
had the opportunity of seeing the sys-
tenn followed by the Russian police.
Every speech and every writing of
Mr.. ShaW-LefeVre-an innocent n not
very formidable personage-with par
ticlars of his birth, p%arentage, means,
residence, habits, tastes and position,
were all entered up in a great portfolio.
Mr.. Snaw-Lefevre was, I believe. at
one time associated with the Friends of
Russian Freedom, and is therefore, like
all the other members of that body,
carefully watched by the agents Of
Russia.
Considerable sums are spent by Rus
STA on secret service agents in Central
Asia, Baluchistan, Persia n in India
itself. The object of these agents is to
belittle Great Britain and belaud Rus
STA.
Constant diplomatic duels take place
between British consular agents and
the avowed representatives Of Russia.
This subterranean var of secret agents
is going on all over the world.
Germany's Special Police.
The German system of secret service
is conducted on much more scientific
lines. German knowledge of the Unit
ed Kingdom is more complete than that
of most Englishmen.
I was lately informed by a British
diplomatist of the highest that
the German general staff possesses a
schedule Of the contents of all the chief
residences in the kingdom.
Every picture and work of art of any
considerable value is known to the
German general staff, while the study
of British topography, the mastery of
our ordnance maps, the knowledge Of
the fords, smithies, obstacles, popula-
ton and high roads form the subject of
examination from German officers who
are told off to the duty of acquiring full
knowledge Of the counties Of the United
Kingdom.
The German agents in England, who
are occupied in surveying this coun-
try with a view to contingencies, are
generally to be found in couples in the
guise of tourists.
They know to a head how many
horses the Irish farmers can supply
within a given time. They have made
a careful study of the idiosyncrasies of
our leading men. Their tastes, habits,
health, friends and means are careful
ly noted by the astute Teutons, VINO
dlstlll the honey of information from
English fields for the German hive.
The principal feature in which Ger
man secret service differs from that Of
England is that the Germans co-ordi-
nate the whole Of their knowledge. n
have 1T ready to hand in a concentrate
ed form whenever it is required.
Useless English Methods.
The English system is different.
There is a secret service fund IN
trolled by the foreign office.
SO many foreign office agents are
hostile to England, and are unpaid,
mat the foreign office service is often
round to be useless for naval or mill
larry purposes.
During the last two years the adj
mlralty has succeeded in wrestling from
the foreign office the control of the Sc
cret service, so far as it affects the
navy. During the trouble with France
over Fashoda, agents of the admiralty
were busily watching French opinion
IN theg great centers. The English mil
itary intelligence department is again
d separate service.
what is required Is to concentrate in
Dne spot the whole knowledge obtain
able. The foreign office should be the
Drain, the eyes and the antennae Of the
nation. The German and Russian for
&slgn offices fulfill these functions. The
brltlsh foreign office not only does not
knoW what is going to happen; it does
not want to know, while the military
and foreign Office intelligence depart
Hlents are separated administratlVely.
What Is Wanted.
After the heavy experience of the
boer war, it is inconceiVable that the
government will not take steps forth
Win to reorganize the whole of our in
tellgence system-naval, military and
diplomatic. The English ignorance of
foreign countries contrasts unpleasant
" with their knowledge about Great
Britain.
France is rapidly becoming a peace
.W power, and is losing that passion
Tor military glory which has oppressed
her for hundreds of years. Germany
AAaa Russia, however, require careful
watching, III the pacific tendencies OF
me French republic may be ~dissipated
Dy the temptations of an alliance that
dsILLdnv may yet nave to O1fer.
What does the admiralty know about
lhe German fleet? Very little. How
many times has the naval attache in
berlln visited Emden, or even Kiel? For
what purpose are the miles of quays
erected at Emden, a little village with
alenth-rat museum in it?
II the Boer war taught the English
anything 1t was to enforce the lesson
That knowledge is power.
There is nothing SO conducive to
peace as a full knowledge of the in
tentions and tendencies of other ma
tions.
An enormous outlay Ia be saved by
The reorganization and establishment
or an efficient and ~up-to-date system of
secret service.
Killed by Its Friends.
Baltimore American: The expert
ment of having women inspectors al
the port of New York has proved a fail