Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-01-19
Germanys Spy System as Revealed
BY High Officers Is Quite Different
From CoIored Tales of Writers
BY FRANK Il, MASON
international News Service
staff Correspondent.

zaombs, flu, poison and propaganda
IN Allied lands, kept the home sec
Eor on the alert until the arTnistice.
Even now the newspapers occasi-
aDnally report German spies or their
ghosts stalking through the land
perpetrating terrible deeds.
A high German officer, for many
years an influential leader in the
Great General Staff, in an exclus-
i've interview with the Inter-
national News Service, pulls aside
Ehe curtain revealing Germany's
peace time. army of military spies
Ln France. Shadows cast by dis
Aant light silhouette as giants the
Kiniest of men. AS the light falls
nn the Giant shadow of the German
spy eclipsing all of northern
France the shadow fades, and one
finds scattered here and there wee
a3igmies of men. revealing in their
soul nakedness human vice and
frailty.
Spy Stories Popular
The spy story was a popular
plot for magazine fiction during
the war The German spy, ac-
s-ording to the author, was usually
ssoulless, devil incarnate, but
leading dashing life OF pictur-
sesque adventure. A glance be-
mind the scenes shows more fire.
quently weak and shivering soul,
living in ugly sordidness, expert
encfng none or the devil may-care
thrills Of the magazine villain.
Herr Von-Von (the name and
rank of the officer must be with
held. for the German military cast
still has its methods, such as ostra-
cism. to punish officers who incur
it's displeasure) was in the military
Intelligence section OF the General
staff when the war broke out.
How many thousands of agents
eiid Germany have in France In
peace time the correspondent
asked him.
"Thousands?" Herr Von-Von
gave sharp look as though he
were afraid of falling into the trap
of another American joke. Thou
szands?" How on earth could you
expect us to use a thousand agents
them employed?"
"One of Americas most popular
weekly magazines published an ar
Aicle three years ago which showed |
how Germany had planted 10000
spies in northern France before
1914, and told how these agents
were organized to cooperate with
ste German army when the war
should occur"
''Why even the Russian Car
couldn't have supported an eEpion
sAge system of those dimensions. We +
had sufficient difficulty getting
money from the Reichstag
40 keep up the work at all"
''The article stated that the Ger
'snan agents were badly paid" the
replied.
One Hundred Spies
-'The truth Is we had about one
hundred military agents In France
when the war commenced" stated
abe officer. "Our maxim was qua
atty not quantity. The popular
theory OF using walters, dancers,
porters and the like, Is the creation
OF the brains of novelists. We
seeded trained military minds.
Even an ordinary lieutenant or
captain in the foreign army was of
mo value. II was our practise.
Stnd, as we proved by exposures
Khe practise Of the French, to seek
s1nly the highest officers as agents.
a chief of staff or general who
s-ould give us mobilization plans
was Of some value. But captain
IN the other army who could only
rcport that regiment so-and-so did
CLOSE order drill for three hours
Chis morning was worthless"
A Typical Case
''The continental espionage sys-
rem used by both the French and
Russians is typified by the case of
an Austrian colonel in Prague.
This colonel was chief OF staff of
rhe Austrian army division which /,
had headquarters In Prague He /,
vas one of about three or four Of I,
ficers who knew the secret mobillz- /,
alton plans of his corps, which In ,
fluded some of the German divisi-
Ons IN southern Saxony. These ,
l..
each unit OF troops was to so in
case of war against Russia. OBJ :
siously the Russians were very
60 secure this information" 4
''The colonel had some very uu- :.
Fortunate personal habits. total
lack OF morals, rather abnormal, of !,
such a nature as to ruin him
among his officer comrades. were !,
he facts TO become known. In !,
some manner or other. never
brought to light the Russians :
earned tie colonel's secret. and by =
,hreats OF exposure blackmallcd !.
aim into delivering up copies of the :
orders. We first Sc !.
sured wind of il by agents in Petro- :
yrad reporting the removal Of large y,
ums OF money from a Petrograd
bank to the Dresdner bank i'm
Berlin. They could find no busi- :
less- transactions behind the money A.
,ayments. Investigation disclosed :,
nat az stated intervals the colonel :.
-ame to Berlin under an assumed =.
lame aud drew from this account. =,
FEW Days later a committee OF :,
hree German and Austrian offic- !,
RS visited the colonel In his apart q ! =
nent In Prague lie broke down \
md confessed and explained how =
he Russians had blackmailcd him -
nto treason, after which he had y