Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-19
SPIES BEGIN
IN NEUTRAL COUNTRY Y
Offensive Launched There Easier to Operate to
Get Information Foiled by American ConsulLaborer
With Message Trapped, as All Are Eventually

Early the following day, when he
reached his office. he was greeted by
eight or ten laboring men. They
showed him the announcement and
said they were willing to accept EN-.
ployment providing American wages
in France were as large as they were
reported to be in the United States.
The colonel knew that he had not
caused this advertisement to be pub.
lished As far as he had been in.
formed the American forces In France
had expressed no desire for such EN-.
ployes. He was too busy to stop to ex.
plain to the eager laborers, but in.
formed them that he knew nothing
about the ad.
As he opened his mornings mail he
found a number of letters from other
workmen who had read the advertise.
ment but who could not leave their
work to apply in person for a position
They requested details by mail. For
several days workmen and letters
came to the attaches office. Each
time he hsd to make the same reply.
After several days had passed the Sec
retary Of the Interior of this neutral
nation announced himself at the a.
tache's bureau. He showed the colonel
the advertisement and said that he
ernment t. call the attaches attention
to the rentrality laws of the country
which forbade diplomatic officials from
doing the sort Of thing he was doing.
Told Where the Trouble Lay
Being an officer who had seen serv-
ice in other and more troublesome
times, the colonel, in a few short, we'll.
selected American words which he
fro CI Iaf al tv,to l,f lA-
formed the Secretary that he knew
all the details of the neutrality law,
and that II the Government
was anxious to observe its neutrality
1t would be best for the Secretary to
call upon the German military attache
who had caused the announcement to
be printed.
The Secretary was not very faver.
ably impressed by his conference and
left. The following day, when another
group of applicants arrived, the colonel
gave orders for them to apply at the
Office of the Secretarysof the Interior,
that the street address given in the
advertisement was incorrect. During
the following days the Secretary re.
ceived more letters and more laboring
men than he had at any previous
time.
This move of Germany had been
we'll planned. The Germans thought
the American forces would need labor.
ers, and that by publishing the adver.
tisement and besieging the attache he
might suggest the matter to Great
Headquarters. Then Germany might
be able to get her agents to these
French ports. But, as usual, the enemy
misjudged the character Of her op-
ponents.
While 1t Is quite certain that Ger
many did not succeed by this scheme.
she was able in some other way to
get citizens Of this neutral country to
some French ports. Perhaps it was
via the spider-web route. There are
such ways even in time of war. All
that Is known is that an agent was
planted at the very port to which the
first American soldiers came. 1t may
have been an accident 1t might have
been design, but it does not matter,
for the events which followed are the
most interesting and important.
To get information out Of France
today is not task for amateurs. The
French secret police have been al
resting the boche, tracing him and
trapping him since early in the fall OF