Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-20
DANIELS LOOKS
FOR GERMAN spy
investigates Providence Journal
Charge That Navy Secrets
Are Jeopardized.
WRITES TO THE EDITOR.
Does Not Personally Believe, However,
That Teutons Have Clerk in De-
partment On Paw Roll.

/ nat the secretary or the Navy VIII
authorize an inquiry TO determine. il
possible,wha truth there is in state
ment made in Wednesdays issue OF
the Providence Journal that a clerk in
| the Navy Department is on the pay
roll of the German government and
has furnished intelligence TO German
agents. now seems 10 be assured.
Secretary Daniels yesterday ad-
dressed a letter on the subject to John
Rathom editor of the Journal The
| charge of the Journal was to the eff
feet that the supposed fact OF the pres
| ence of the spy in the department
was communicated to Mr.. Daniels
some months ago in the course OF a
conference in which Mr. Daniels. Mr..
Rathom. and Captain Oliver. naval
member of the Neutral Board. took
part.
AT that time Mr.. Rathom presented
data which seemed to support his
statement that the Sayville wireless
station on Long Island. which is con
trolled by German ccr1pany. but
which is now being supervised by the
United States. was sending messages
to Berlin in violation of the American
neutral laws.
Secretary Daniels made the state
ment yesterday that he could not re-
call that Mr. Rathom said anything
about a spy in the department in the
course of the conference in question.
Captain Oliver, who was present on
that occasion, was consulted by Mr.
Daniels. and he. too failed 10 recall
that Mr. Rathom had communicated
any information of this character. In
the letter forwarded to Mr.. Rathom
yesterday Secretary Daniels asked for
more details concerning thee barge.
1t was learned yesterday that some
weeks ago naval officers became sus-
picious that some one i'm the depart
ment was forwarding intelligence to
German agents. This was when ex-
perts were making test of a piece of
the steamer Nebraskan, which had
been fired at By German submarine
to ascertain whether the Nebraskan
had been hit by a torpedo or a mine
The tests disclosed that the damage so
the Nebraskan was caused by q tor
pedo. About the time the experts
reached this conclusion Germany sent
note acknowledging responsibility
for damage to the Nebraskan.
This note came to Washington prior
to the formal announcement of the re
suit of the tests. Some officials sav
it is possible that Germany may have
acquired advance information and an
ticipated the claim for damages sub
sequently made by the United States.
As general proposition. Secretary
Daniels and his associates are dispos-
ed to discount the reports concerning
the alleged activities of German spies.
Officers of the Navy Department and
Commissioner of Navigation Chamber
lin yesterday concluded their investi-
cation of the report brought to both
departments that a secret wireless
station had been erected i'm Washing
ton to take off" all messages sent by
the Arlington government station. II
was discovered in the residence of a
German citizen, but proved to be a
harmless amateur set of instruments
that would be incapable of doing the
work attributed to it,
President Samuel Gompers. of the
American Federation of Labor, vester-
day was urged TO make public the in
formation he possessed upon which he
based his statement that If the gov
ernment investigated the efforts to
corruptly influence men in connection
with certain strikes il would be fruit
ful in results" Mr.. Gompers declin-
cd to make statement
My desire to see organized labor
protected from insidious influences
and the safety of my country assured
against such menaces of attack" said
Mr.. Gompers. "At such a time as this
/ must restrain myself and not talk
too much about this situation. ] pos
itively will not say more at the pres
ent than what l said in my statement
published this morning"