The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-13

hands. There were hundreds OF such
throughout Russia
The German General Staff instructed Its
secret agents in foreign countries to pre-
pare platforms for airplanes. reservoirs
for Zeppelins AID even to build fortrcsses.
| In the Baltic provinces these instructions
were carried out by German engineers.
In fact, several German fortresses were
erected in Russia by German agents.
This is not fairy tale. not a myth. but
the bitter truth" reads an official Russian
document. ''Our soldiers convinced them
from such fortresses about five versts from
vladislavov. 1t took the Russian army
five days to capture these German forti-
fications on Russian territory
1t was discovered that these Qualifications
had been constructed by Germans who had
become Russian subjects and who thus
cont!ived to check tho progress Of the
Russian armies on their way to Prussia
Neither Russia nor the Allies suspected
how far reaching the scope Of German
espionage was because they did not realize
that pan-Germanism was the force behind
the system Of German espionage.
Spies From Every Sphere Of Society.
To carry out its schemes Of conquest, tc
make the world safe for Prussia, the
Kaiser's government has for many years
elaborated its system Of espionage every
where and has drawn its spies and secret
agents from every sphere of society. Il
has ensnared a multitude of men and
women of high and low social standing
to aid the cause of Pan-Germanism. l,
stretched out its claws to the church and
the universities, the armies and the navies
the schools, the shops and the farmhouses
In Russia the provinces adjoining Ger
man and Austrian territories were Gov
cred with an enormous network of spies
and provocateurs long before the outbreak
of the war. Every city and town, every
village and hamlet, in those provinces
harbored branch of the kaiser's secret
Organization. Thus he knew the military
social, economic and political condition Of
Russia better than the Russian statesmen
themselves knew it.
Russians studied Spy systeu.
The Russian Military Prosecutor, who
made a profound study of German espi-
onage, declared that in 1911, when certain
Russian regiments situated in the Polish
provinces were to be transferred, German
spies communicated this information to
Berlin before the orders had actually been
- A. l. .~l
A letter sent by German officer 70
one Of the spies was intercepted. 1t
read as follows:-
please come to see me as soon as pos
sible. 1 have a great deal of work for
you. We will need about a hundred men
for the task. Come for money without
delay"
Though all this was known at the time
to the Russian authorities, for some rea-
son they paid no attention to the rapidly
growing German organiza ton in Russia.
Even representatives of the army occupy
ing posts of great Importance minimizct
the significance of German espionage.
The official organ of the War Department,
the Russky Invalid, reprimanded the Mil
itary Prosecutor who exposed the in
trigues of the Kaiser's representatives in
Russia, saying that he was "cultivating
dangerous yellow rumors and legends
about German spies"
Hun Espionage Grew Undisturbed.
Thus, German espionage was per-
mitted to grow and develop and take root
in Russia long before the war. The fruits
of the activities of the organization BIOS
somed forth and poisoned Russia. Ger
many knew the weaknesses of Russia bet
ter than the Allies knew them, better
than the Russian patriots knew them, and
Germany profited by this knowledge The
elimination of German espionage came
through Bolshevism at Brest- Litovsk.
leading to the dismemberment of Russia
Germany also tried to spread its net
work of espionage over England, France,
Belgium and the United States long be-
fore the outbreak of the war
Winston Churchill declared in a speech
at Liverpool in 1914 as follows:-
Ever since l have assumed the post Of
First Lord of the Admiralty I have seen
daily evidences of the most energetic Ger
NOUS numb Der of secret German agents
have worked year in and year out en-
deavoring to secure all possible informa-
ton concerning the British fleet and its
organization. But that is not all. Aside
from the professional spies, every insig-
rifieant little German lieutenant tried to
gain the good graces of his government
by going to England for his vacation
and reporting his observations in our
peaceful and peace loving country"
France In Particular Victim.
France suffered greatly also from the
spiderlike network of German espionage
In 1908 prominent French general
said
German spies are everywhere in
France, as before 1870. They are resort
ing to every device of spying. They are
spying through our domestic help, through
be street boys, even through the chin
hey sweeps"
1t was established that about forts
Germans were working in Paris