New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-21

over the possibility of a break with the
United States.
A few hours afterward | saw Joseph
c. Grew, of Boston. first secretary OF
the embassy. Ambassador Gerard was
at the time in New York. Grew said
Count Montgelas. chief OF the Ameri-
can division Of the Foreign Office, had
asked him whether the United States
was about to break diplomatic rela-
tions. because "Mr Conger end Mr..
Alderman had stated that afternoon
that they were packing their trunks to
be ready for the break"
Street Only Safe Place
Some one of the numerous agents at
the Adlon had reported his version Of
our conversation. After this incident
whenever Conger and | met to talk
about anything we selected the middle
Of the street.
In Berlin | lived on the top floor of
an apartment house in Wilmersdorf, a
quiet suburb Of Berlin. When moved
in the apartment underneath was occu-
pied by a German family. which moved
out very suddenly after the Sussex was
toTpedOed. A few days later | read on
the name plate of the apartment the
card Of the new occupant. His name
was German. but the card was his for
mer business card which he used in
Petrograd.
One evening | returned from the Of
flee and was dining on the balcony,
such as are built on all Berlin apart
ments. After | was there a few min
utes talking to my wife a ten-year-
old boy, son of the couple living under
meath our apartment, ran into his faith
er's study and shouted: ooh, daddy,
that mans home upstairs"
In a few seconds the whole family
was sitting on the balcony underneath.
| found out afterward that they knew
English as well as did.
One day Ambassador Gerard received
through the mail letter addressed in
a plain envelope containing spy's re-
port on Gerard addressed to the Minis
try Of War. The report covered sew
eral typewriter pages and narrated
about everything the ambassador had
done and said during the previous week.
1t was so accurate that the ambassador
thought he might have dictated it him
self. What Mr. Gerard did with the
letter finally do not know, but he said
at the time that he believed the report
was sent to him Intentionally, although
there were evidences that it might have
been placed in the wrong envelope by
the writer.
Work Of Code Experts
The code experts in the Foreign Of
fice and military bureaus were consid-
cred experts in any code in the world.
Although the United States used three
codes, it was known that at least two
were known to the German government,
dispatches usually mixed the codes so
that any one knowing two of them or
even the third could not decipher
them. That, was, however, the in
tention Of the State Department, but
frequently dispatches were sent to the
embassy from Washington and then
made public verbatim as they were
sent.
Because this had happened several
times the ambassador feared the gov
eminent could read all his kilograms,
SO he adopted the policy of sending all
important confidential communications
through the United States governments
private mail pouches, which were sent
TO the United States weekly by courier.
President Wilson. Colonel House and
Secretary Lansing were thus in conf
dental communication despite the Wig
lance of the German government.
When the Berlin code experts sue
ceeded in deciphering dispatches these
were compared with other information
from the United States, and in this way
the government spy system had a COM
plete check on all important reports.