The Alaska daily empire., 1917-02-21
Hostile Agents Reported to Number Over Ten Thousand; Men Are
 Being Watched.
ESPIONAGE IS EXTENDED
Activities in the Panama Canal Region Is Now Confirmed by
 Army Men.

NEW YORK. Feb. l2-(SpeciaD The New York Times says that German secret agents for months have been cNertng every effort to gain confidential information con corning the United States navy the Qualifications guarding the principal American ports. and the Panama Canal is fact well known to the government of the United States. From two Sources that the official il is known ;hat recently the Navy Department came into possession Of three letters by a man who has becn in a position tO get certain confidential data concerning he ua- ", written 10 officials Of Jhe Ger man government. in which this man an Amegir&n citizen ol German eX. traction, offered to sell certain con- Gdcltial information" Photographic copies of these letters are on file in ;he Navy Department, while oth- CT copies are in thc possession Of ;he secret service.
 Ir has also been established that ou several occasions since the war ia Europe started, German survey ing parties" have been detected at work along the route of the Pan ana canal. These groups oi Ger mans. some or them from German ships intered at Panama, and Oth- CTS resident in that country. are said co have mapped routes leading 10 vi. tai points along the canal route and also to have made note Of the location Of power houses, lights, and other stations which if destroyed would either block or seriously im- pedc the operation of the canal These men however. were careful Co remain on the Panama side oE. 'he canal strip, and so far as i;. known none of them yentured across The line into the territory, which is under the jurisdiction Of Colonel Chester Harding, U. & A.. Governor of the Canal Zone.
 The statements regarding the Ger. man activities in Panama have been confirmed by several army officers who are familiar with the details. The matter has been made the sub. iect of several reports Co the War Department, and all necessary pre- cautions have been taken to Irus. trate any efforts on the part Of the surveying parties" to damage the canal.
 Enjoyed Novel Permits
 The man who offered to sell navy information 10 the Germans is well krown in both naval and civilian circles. He has never held an of- 1. ficial position in the Navy Depart !. meut. but at times has enjoyed per . mits the use Of which made it pos. sible for him to gain confidential . regarding battle maneuv. l CTS Of the Atlantic fleet The very prompt work or the secret service { put an end to his machiuatiOns be- !. fore he was able 10 do any harm
 A few days ago a representative of the New York Times asked one of the highest civilian officials of the navy department regarding the ac- tivities Of the man who tried to sell naval secrets 10 the Germans"
 Tt is quite true that we have pho t0graphed three such letters written by the man you name" this olric. ial replied. "I am very sorry, how ever. that it would not be Sood pol. icy at this time to make those let, ters public All that I can say at this time is that the information you have is correct"
 It is also known that German az. cnts in this country have been keep. ing on file ever since the outbreak of the war in Europe lists of Ger man subjects in the United States who would be relied upon to serve he Fatherland in the event of ierman-American break. One of the ists. on which appeared the names ,t more than 1000 German subjects. s said to have been found in the Ton Igel papers which were seized when the office of that German az mt at 60 Wall Street was entered md searched by the Department of Justice agents a year ago.
 The papers seized in Von Igers of. ice-Von Igel was the successor in 1 New York of Captain VOn Papen, the i ecalled German military attache- lever have been made public. The riginals are understood +o be etu