Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08

m played an important part in the
~ dangerous secret war; checking
German agents and gathering in
formation about significant subma-
rine plans and movements.
Memory is keen of seeing late in 1917 spy
report on tissue paper that the Germans were
starting to build giant submarines to use against
the transports bringing American troops TO
France The United States had expected it, OF
course but it struck chill. Here were what
purported TO be particulars, especially that the
new submarines would accommodate crews OF
T5-and Is prisoners.
1t was reported that they were going after
high-ranking United States officers.
America knew a good deal about what Ger
man submarines were doing, even those that
crossed the ocean and sank ships OF the At
lantic coast. When with colors flying, weary,
oil-stained crews cheering, they came into har-
Dor again, secret service agents were waiting
for them at the docks.
That happened on the return July %, 1918,
of what must have been the submarine that
fired the first shots along our peaceful II pa
trolled shores BY the time it had reported at
Wilhelmshaven, American Naval Intelligence,
under Rear Admiral Roger Welles, knew its
story, the route it had followed by way OF Ice
land and Greenland, across the ocean to New
foundland how it had cruised down our coast
near Barbados what ships it had sunk, and that
only one of the crew had been hurt. Yet to
keep that story secret, the Germans had al
lowed none of the crew ashore!
CERMANY'S naval base at Kiel had few.
secrets. There was very neat map OF
the city and the ford, showing the forts, the
machine shops, the extent and arrangement OF
the greatly expanded Friedrichshafen works
where most of the torpedoes were made, and
the exact position of new submarine harbor
the Germans built in the quite reasonable an
ticipation Of losing the Belgian coast, as Of
course they did.
The fords and islands of the Danish and
Dutch coasts, like the defiles of Switzerland,
were lodging places for spies of all sorts. We
kent our watch which did not always fail, as
witness this message:
"On the relief boat Escaut, which left
Amsterdam September 6, sailing for America,
there are hiding in the coal bunkers two people
designated by the German spy Kohl to spy In
the United States. The first is Otto Stecke, the
second known as the Big Australian. Both
are connected with the German secret service
ut Amsterdam. The boat is due in New York
September 49," 1t was met by United States
spy catchers.
Scarcely neutral ship came into Dutch OF
Danish port but had at least one spy in its
crew, usually several, for several different ma
tons As cat watches mouse, counter-espion-
age service watched ships crews ashore. Where
did they go? Whom did they see? Did they
ever pass to any one anything that might con-
Ceal message?
Our counter espionage haunted waterfront
dives, sailors lodging houses. In one such, they
got this Questionable its possessor-pre-
pared by the German secret service for the next
voyage Of his ship to England:
From which British ports do the principal
British transports leave?"
rDo they still speak Of naval attack ON
Ostend?"
Get all information possible regarding the
9Th and 9Th Canadian and the 5th and 9Th
Australian divisions. Are they still in Eng
1and?"
Are the tank battalions temporarily marked
A, and c, and the brigades /, 2 and 3? How
far up do these numbers go?"
How large crews have the so-called hush
hush boats? CO boats.O What is their official
name? Where are they built? How large?
How many? What is their speed and arma-
ment? How many flying machines do they
carTy?"
Do you remember the famous corpse factory
In which the Germans boiled down their dead
for various substances described as glycerin,
lubricating Gil, pig and poultry food and even
margarine, substitute butter?
Whatever may have been believed generally
in England where the story originated, the
American secret service knew the truth One
of its agents reported that the "Kadaverver-
werkunksanstalt' was indeed factory for ex-
tracing oi-but from animals. The bodies that
were used were those of dead horses, not OF
dead soldiers.