Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-08-22
GERMAN SPIES
BOTHERED YANKS
Enemy Learned Valuable Secrets
No Matter How Carefully
Guarded.
CENTER ON AMERICANS
Germans Sent Smc othcst Secret Scr
vice Men TO Camp on Trait Of
Americans 40 Soon as ~ ~
Landed.

Parls.--Ameri,nn newspaper CORE
sp0ndents abroad are now permitted
10 relate some Of the troubles the
Americans experienced with the grent
German spy system.
No army in the world war had q
harder hight against the smooth work
ing, tar-reuching Teuton espionage sys.
TEN than dli General Pershing's war.
riors. The Germans concentrated a
large number of spies against the
Americans immediately after the first
Yankee contingentS landed in France
ana Kept augmrnting their numbers.
The American army was made the OBJ
Ject NJ the spy offensive because the
Germans recognized that. II the war
continued until the summer of 1918
and then tapped over into 1919 ii was
the American army that would figure
largely in allied operations. They
wanted td md oft what kind OF an
army Pershing had what the morale
of the individual soldiers was, what the
STATS were planning and what DISPOSE
ton was being made of American
troops behind the western battle front.
Hard to Keep Secrets.
In spite OF all precautions AMI In
spite of contre-espionnge forces, Gar
man agents undoubtedly collected a
large amount of valuable information
behind the American lines to supple
meht other odds and ends they had
picked up from American prisoners.
from the reports of their land aud air
observers and from other sources.
Officers tried hard IN keep the Roche
from learning that one American unit
had been removed from the line and
supplemented by another. That was
Information that the German intelli.
gence officers wanted for their "order
of battle" maps. by which they kept
track of the exact disposition OF all
enemy troops in the line and reserve.
One night elements of the Seventy.
seventh division, from New York city,
slipped qaletiy into line In the Bacon.
rat sector relieving other units Of the
Forty-second division. which entrulned
for the west to help repel Hindenburg's
last great offensive. There was every
need for secrecy. But when men of
the Seventy-seventh peered across mo
mans lund' AT daybreak they saw
hoisted from the German trenches this
sign, printed in English:
"Good-by, Forty-second division
Welcome, Seventy !"
There We're other instances Of the
same kind; but the thing was not all
One-sided Often the Americans knew
that Heinle was slipping in new out
tit, the number of the outfit and just
what kind bf stuff it's men were made
of, and Ylry made important use OF
that Information.
Much Trouble In Aisace.
American troops that saw service In |
the mountainous 'Alsace country had !
the greatest difficulties with the SPY
evil. Behind the Franco. American |
lines We're large number Of people /
who were Gerlnan-born and who re-
tanned their symputhies for the kaiser. |
The country offered unusually good OPP !
portunities for spies because OF Its .
hllly, wooded nature. On several |
nights, when American troops were en-
tering the trenches to relieve other
units, Pockets and eolored lights shot
UP FROM hills behind the American
front. The German artillery promptly
to this tip by pounding the
communication trenches,
knowing TINT they would he crowded
with men passing forward. The hills
and woods afforded such excellent hid
Ing places that 1t was next to impos-
slide to attempt 70 trap the men who
had touched on the lights. The situa-
ton in Alsnce was ull the more difh-
cut because the French government
desired to avoid offending tho Alsatian
villagers by making arrests.