Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18
Continued from Second Page.

the same passengers silence with gifts OF
watches-that turned out made OF TOn
whether or not in ALL in some neutral
countries there was an American secret
service" and, often, good one. One Such
had at the armistice 80 reliable sources OF
information, including nine paid Su0-chiets
heading each a team or group OF agents, none
Of whom knew of the existence OF the other
teams, none of whom even knew for whom
they were working. They knew II was an
allied service" that was all.
Perhaps 40 spy teams played their dan
Kerous game for the Americans in Europe. In
Russia and Rumania and other places, per-
hapS half carrying the secret way Directly I'd
Germany.
Each team numbered from three to six.
one of them the ub-chief or captain, the only
one the others saw. He spent most OF MS
time in whatever country was the teams base,
and Of the team he alone received orders
from the American service in that country.
Often those orders came indirectly, from an
allied colleague whom he knew already. About
that the rest of the team knew even less None
trusted any one he need not trust.
THE teams part Of the job was to do the
actual spying, to 60 where their captain
told them to go, in search Of what information
he told them to get. But not all at once. Like
boys playing leapfrog first one went, then
another, then perhaps third or even fourth
II the leap was to be to Krupps works at
Essen and back first one man would go, dis
guised perhaps as German workman, with
false papers. Through connections that he
had already, he would get Job. Two weeks
later . second would go, perhaps as travelling
salesman for a firm in the neutral country,
meet the first, take his report and return to
his base. If he could not find or get In touch
with the first man, he might remain himself
or another member Of the team would start
on the same mission, and in due course the
same traveller would return and see him. Each
team had always one or two men in reserve
for emergencies, or, in the oficial phrase, Ito
replace casualties"
One estimate was that the Americans
should have always on reserve 81 men TO
replace the casualties in q force OF secret
agents Of this nature totaling 500, of whom
374 would operate against Germany But in
the leapfrog game not more than 100 would
be in Germany at any one time, which means
high average of casualties in actual spying
That program was never put into practice.
Much Of what some consider most romantic
of all callings was, by modern wars stern
necessity, systematized, regimented. Even the
routes of the travelling agents were laid out
One secret service mapped 10 such spy
paths through Germany, and said the number
accounted for their safety.
What manner of men are spies? Are they
the snster-appcaring individuals that stories
have made them?
OFFICIALLY, of course, there are no "spieS."
The term is agent" meaning any one
from the master spy, capable of making
friends with cabinet ministers and generals to
the sabotage worker with his bomb. But as
spies they are known to literature, drama and
movies; as spies the reader thinks of them
Most of them are like other people; if any
thing, more so. Otherwise, they would be
caught. In the World War there were SO
many-the number has been estimated at
$4,000 serving all beligerents, and may have
been larger-that the great majority had to
appear, at least, to be just ordinary human
beings. That was the trouble with Mata Hari.