Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-02-26


American agents. and to the minds
of many it appeared that the United
States lacked men and women of
enough cleverness to combat and
vanquish the spies and agitators of
the central powers, both in this
country and abroad. While it is
true that the central powers had a
large number of clever agents scat
tered throughout the United States
and also placed in our Army and
Navy. their work was minimized by
the activities of those who served
faithfully and we'll, but without
thought or hope of public recogni-
tion. IT is true that we were COM
paratively new at this sort of work,
but it was not long before those in
charge of operations realized that
the forces of this country contained
men and women of extraordinary
Intelligence. and the slurs which the
central powers used to brighten and for
propaganda purposes were ignored
1t was the far more sensible plan
and showed that those in charge of
the secret service, the Department
of Justice and the intelligence sec
tion of the Army and Navy. all work
ing in harmony. were not to be
stampeded or rushed into making
any false moves Expedients of all
sorts were employed to destroy the
morale of the nation by "gravevine
telegraph and poisoned utterances.
The enemy tried to break down the
faith of the people in the power of
this government TO protect its citi-
gems against plots that meant the
loss of lives and money and de-
StructIon of much property.
IN preparing this second article
the writer has confined himself
largely to recital of facts that
came under his personal supervision
during his service in the Army in
this country and in France. and to
happenings that were described to
him by officers and officials who
were very intimately connected with
the work of ,comba ting a foreign
spy system. FoE governmental and
other reasons. names of those who
served their country so well have
been omitted.
For Il dozen years or more prior TO
the beginning of the war in 1914 two
foreign governments, members of the
central powers. commenced the active
work of placing spies in the United
States. Some of these agents took
out their naturalization papers. 9th
srs visited the United States as rep
resentatives of foreign commercial
concerns, while still others came in
the capacity OF lecturers and pub
licists They came to this country
through the port of New York. they
they crossed the Canadian border,
they came over the Rio Grande from
Mexico. Each was charged with per-
forming a certain duty and to report
at stated intervals to subheads OF
the system. These subheads in turn
reported to ten lieutenants. who. in
turn. reported to five captains. and
they in turn reported to the chief OF
the system in this country. The
agents knew but one or two of. their
Fellows as agents. The responsibility
resting upon each agent was not
large as to area. but he was compell-
ed to be accurate in his reports, for
his operations We're checked ever so
often and he was given to understand
that his work was being checked.
The majority of these agents were
engaged in some labor by which they
earned their daily bread. and the
money paid by their home govern
ment was in the majority of cases, a
mere pittance. Their rewarad was
largely in the form of secret whis-
pered communication that the home
government was deeply grateful for
the manner in which they We're car
rying on their work.
nEFORE the call came from Europe
- that war had been declared the
majority of the agents in this
country were notified that before
many months events of an unusual
character were to transpire in Eu-
rope. Upon the declaration of war
and the call from the allies to this
country for the manufacture of mu-
uitions, the purchase of horses. cattle,
etc, the heads of the foreign spy sys-
tenn in this country were busily en-
gagged in putting into execution the
plan that had been mapped out sew
cral years before.
The plan might have been success
full had not a number OF Army and
Navy officers. government officials and
II few patriotic Americans been quiet
Is watching for several years certain
individuals in the country whose &C
tions had aroused their suspicion.
These citizens had from time to time
ulaced in the hands of government
officials information concerning the
work that was being carried on by
these foreign spies.
In 1914 representatives of the San
Francisco exposition received letters
from certain individuals asking in
formation as to space for exhibition
nurposes, etc. A number of these let
ters resulted in the allotment Of space
in the exhibition buildings. At q later
date. the summer in which the expo
sition was held, there came to San
francisco several individuals who
were Immediately placed under the
watchful eye of government officials.
At the same time there appeared
along the docks of San Francisco .
number of iongshoremen and sailors
sho did not appear to suffer because