South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-05
British Government.

another volume on that most inter
esting OF subjects. Germany's spy sys-
tenn, is 10 be published soon. This
book, The German Spy System From
Within" is from the pen of q man
once an intelligence officer ia the SER
vice OF the British government who
declares he is placing 1t before the
world from patriotic motives.
While the work is filled with gener-
Rlities, necessary in such a subject,
there are parts, particularly those
chapters which relate the alleged ad-
vantages derived from the spy sys-
tenn in this present war, which are
highly interesting. The writer asserts
that many OF the German successes so
TAR were the direct result Of pains
taking preparations made through
spies in the course OF many years.
Maubeuge. the powerful French fort
ress near the Belgian frontier, fell, he
says because the Germans had out
sault long before with the active aid
Of the Krupps
1.-The Notifications of Maubeuge, tho
French fortress which fell to the Ger
man attack in so marVelOusly short a
time, were proof against anything
short Of the heaviest siege artillery,
and before this class Of artillery can
fortress gun platforms leYelled and
supported by masonry equal 10 the
strain imposed I'm firing the guns must
be constructed" he writes.
The construction of these plat
forms involves much calculation and
measurement and is not a matter Of
such time as was involved IN the fall
of Maubeuge. but Of a much longer
period.
The explanation Of the use Of siege
guns against Maubeuge and the rapid
reduction of the fortress is said TO lie
In the purchase of about 800 acres Of
the woods of Lanieres, about four
miles from Maubeuge. by an agent for
Frederic Krupp, the builder of the
siege guns with which Maubeuge was
reduced. The firm Of Krupp, for
whom this purchase was made as far
back as 1911, announced it's intention
OF building a locomotive factory on
the ground acquired; but long before
the present war was declared KrUpp
constructed the platforms on which
the siege guns should be mounted to
command Maubeuge and totally neu-
tralize the -alue Of Notifications as
well as turning out locomotives"
Training OF German Spies.
Training spies in Germany is a work
OF great care, the author declares, and
the men whose duty IL is TO unearth
the military and naval secrets of other
nations are drafted mainly from the
ranks OF the great German general
staff
THE selection Of the higher class
OF spy I'm these days IS very largely a
matter of chance" he writes. AL
most in every case the man selected
must be bilingual. while If he has
three languages at his command so
much the better for him-and for his
employers. In purely military espi-
Onage. that which concerns plans Of
Notifications. estimates of strength
and movements, Typographical sur
veying. ascertaining the character Of
officers and the possibility of influence
ing them either by bribery or black
mail, and general secret service work
likely to be of service to the great
German general staff. capable and
clever men must be selected. The
German waiter Of melodramatic
fancy has little part in this class Of
work.
The military spy must know units
OF the British army at sight and must
have at hand, If not actually in his
mind, the code word by which each
unit II tabulated at Berlin. He must
know the code words also for various
patterns of gun; must be conversant
with classes OF explosive and patterns
OF shell. and must be able, If luck
and his own ingenuity should favor
him, to carry in his mind sufficient Of
the nature and plan of a fertilization
TO be able TO draw a map of the work
TO scale as nearly as possible"
The naval spy, according to the au-
thor, is one of the highest type so far
as general information goes, and he
outranks the naval officer OF any other
country in his knowledge OF different
types or lighting vessels. In addition,
ne must be familiar with coast de-
fences and the location Of coaling sta
tions OF him he says;
The naval spy is made acquainted
with the build and outline Of every
class OF naval vessel IN the world. He
IS first schooled in the details Of the
various battleships, cruisers and