New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-05
Lusitania Doomed
BY Fake Message,
Author Declares
Plot to Sink Liner Was
Hatched Here, Accord
ing to Book
Spy on Ship Assisted
German Agent Substituted
Route to U-Boat Ambush for
English Directions

Bearing the Endorsement OF Colonel
Roosevelt. a new contribution TO the
literature of the European war, by John
Price Jones. New York newspaper
man, entitled America Entangled'
contains a chapter headed How the
Lusitania Was Sunk"
The Cunarder was torpedoed because
Of the substitution of a message sent
out by the British Admiralty to the Lu-
sitania. when off the coast Of Ireland
by fake message. emanating from a
German controlled wireless station, ae-
cording to Mr. Jones. And in this
scheme a German agent on board the
Inflated liner played a leading role.
The plot TO destroy the Lusitania
was Matched here in New York City
declares the author Of America En-
tangled" and one Of the conspirators,
who met frequently at the German
Club here, was dining on the night OF
the tragedy with the family of one Of
the Lusitania victims. Said this Ger
man conspirator when word came OF
the sinking:
IL did not think she would sink so
quickly, 1 had two good men on board ="
Plot to Sink Liner
Quoting from the book;
THE scheme(ss talked over by the
conspirators), was, in substance, as
follows:
Captain Turner, approaching the
English coast, sends a wireless 20 the
British Admiralty, asking for instruc-
tons as to his course and convoy. He
gets a reply in code, telling him in
what direction to steer and where his
convoy will meet him. First, we must
get q COPY of the Admiralty code, and
we must prepare a message IN cipher,
giving directions as 10 his course. This
message will 90 to him by wireless as
though from the Admiralty. We must
make arrangements to see that the
genuine message from the British Ad-
miralty never reaches Captain Turner
After telling of the obtaining of the
British Admiralty Code by the Ger
man spies, the author goes on:
1.-THE next step was to arrange for
the substitution of the fake message
for the genuine one. Germany's spy
machine has wonderful faculty for
seeking out the weak characters hold
ing responsible positions among the
enemy or for sending agents to get
and hold positions among their foes.
it is now charged that a man on the
Lusitania was deceived or duped.
L /. no
thizer sent out by the Fatherland to
get the position and be ready for the
task, or whether he was induced for
pay TO play the part he did. has not
been told. Neither is his fate known"
Fake Message Received
Mr.. Jones then tells-and his state
ment is borne out by the records in
the coroner's inquest in England
when the Lusitania approached within
the zone she believed she was safe and
asked for instructions. the British Adj
miralty sent back word TO proceed TO
point seventy or eighty miles off the
Old Head Of Kinsale, where convoy
would take her through the danger
zone. But Captain Turner never got
the massage and the British convoy
waited in vain for him. What he got
was q message telling MIN to proceed
to a point ten miles off the Old Head
of Kinsale where two U-bOats had been
lying in wait for him for some time.
The real message from the British
Admiralty was produced at the trial.
Captain Turner produced the one he
received. And as Mr.. Jones put it:
"The orders did not jibe. They
showed treachery. And further in
vestigation pointed TO Sayville."