The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-09-23
First Official Expose of Geanys Spy Systems Activities Tn
WORK OFPLOTTERS
SHOWN TO COVER
WHOLE COUNTRY

at the outset the secret service Of the
Hamburg Steamship Com
pany. Under Paul Koenig, its man.
| ager, ii became an adjunct to the
| German diplomatic secret service.
/ Xxx" is the secret designation of
koenig, who is now under indict-
ments on criminal charges in connec-
tion with his diplomatic" work, and
is interned at Fort Oglethorpe. The
person represented by the figure
1000" is Captain Won Papen. former
military attache of the German en-
bassy and the practical executive OF
\ its underground system. The docu-
ment, as may be seen in the repro
duction, describes the subterfuges of
XXX (Koenig) so that he might not
| be identified by the mysterious
when they met. xxx" states that
money was to be drawn for the pay
ment of $50 to the unnamed person,
under peculiar precautions, through
Check No. 146 on the Riggs National
! Bank, Washington. dated July 16, pay
Sable to -- signed --- amount
$3.50. No reason was given as to why
the payment was made" says the re-
port.
Several days after the payment, the
recipient called at the passenger
office of the -- Line" and made
a statement which is thus embodied
in the xxx report.
MY name is I have an
office at the -- building, but
/ do not care to state my local ad-
dress. I intend to cause serious
damage to vessels OF the allies leav-
ing ports of the United States by
placing sbombs, which / am making
myself. on board. These bombs re-
semble ordinary Jumps of coal, and
L am planning to have them con-
cealed in the coal to be laden on
steamers of the allies"
A Sample Bomb.
Finally xxx states that "the call
er" brought with him a sample bomb,
such as has been described to you
by the subscriber" and asks for the
instructions.
The document is lettered at the
foot, 20. r. to 1000, Indicating that
the secret agent known as 20. RI
had transmitted it to Won Papen.
Now for the proof, direct and I'M
escapable. Check I46 on the Riggs
National Bank has been traced and
added to the Secret Service collec-
tion. 1t is payable to Koenig and
W NOAA dpCh- 1hGTGIOT6 Won I
Papen stands convicted on the evil
dence of a report claimed as an Of
hcial document by the Germans, of /
paying money to a plotter designing
to blow up merchant ships sailing
from the port of New York The
person who made this report is
known to Department of Justice Of
icials.
Compare these documents with the
following authorized statement from
Berlin, transmitted by wireless forI
publication in the New York Times
in December. 1915:
The German government has, nat
urally. never knowingly accepted the
support OF any person, group of per-
sons. society. or organization seeking
to promote the cause OF Germany in
the United States by illegal acts, by
counsel Of violence, by contravention
of law, or by any means whatever
that could offend the American peo-
pie in the pride of their own author
ity."
Spy Enterprises.
Destruction was not by any means
the sole interest of Koenig's energetic
bureau. 1t concerned itself also with
spy enterprises. To Koenig wrote
Otto West, an American citizen and
proprietor Of the Hour Glass. at 1903 I
(or 363) Fifth avenue, recommending
a relative of his who, according TO
his description, must be an interest
ing and somewhat formidable figure.
Mr.. Vests description. somewhat cur
tailed, follows:
He is grandson OF the late ODER
n fern n
er OF the present Militar Oberpfarrer
Strauss. of Potsdam: nephew OF the I
late Admiral Won Schleinitz: the late !
Cen Won Mantey, etc. This gentle
man changed his name some twenty J
odd years ago to an American name, $
and none OF his associates suspect his I
Ierman birth or antecedents
he is an international Journalist 7
ot great repute, for years at the head I
ot newspaper organization in Eng I
and He has a personal reason to
be very bitter against England, be- }
cause two years ago (this letter ap- /
pears to have been written about c
June !, 1915. which would make the a
late referred to the early summer OF 4
9l3J a certain attack was made Z
against him over commercial matters J
n Great Britain, and 1t was only by I
lPpeailhb 10 lne united States De- I
'artment Of State and a writ Of ha-
'eas corpus before the lord chief ius- d
ice Of England that he escaped sue Il
;essfully. I
He was in England and France at {
he outbreak of the war; he has ac- Il
ess ID the great sources of British /!
nd French official information. He
wants to go across to Europe and p
erve secretly for Germany"
Complete and SkIIIfuL. n
or the completeness and skill OF n
iermany's spy system in this country, 4
glimpse is afforded through the c
Pluminous correspondence OF DR.. Il
'heo. Otto, of Allentown, Pa. DIR. Il
'tto's special concern was to ascer- {,
ain the nature OF the contracts for G
iunitions and arms upon which the e
ariOus factories in the neighbor hood n
'ere engaged and report them to the u
erman embassy. His work was such Is
S to earn him special commendation. a
Or which he expresses himself in Is
ne OF his letters as duly apprecia-
We. He was able. he states, "in my o
lpacity as a physician to establish y,
elations with officials OF almost all -
the munitions factories situated ~
this vicinity" Either DR.. Otto :,
Institutes fancy for fact or he was :,
Bile to obtain curiously exact infor- h,
alton in many instances sIIcb NJ thu !