Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-03-04
GERMAN LAWYER
DENIES HE IS SPY
Letter, However, Shows He
Cited Qualifications in
Seeking Position.
By the Associated Press.

LONDON. March A letter IN
which DR.. Hermann Gortz, German
lawyer and writer, said he had been
able to extract information from
American and English aviators was
read by the prosecutor today at the
opening of his trial for espionage.
DR.. Gortz, speaking excellent Eng
fish. pleaded innocence to charges OF
violating the British official secrets
act at the start of his hearing in grim
old Bailey Court-Englands first for
eign spy trial since the end OF the
World War.
Two women were among those Sc
lected for the jury.
The prosecutor, j. c. CaSsels, read
letter dated Hamburg, September
Is. 1885, on a sheet of paper headed,
"Dr. Hermann GortZ, solicitor and
specialist on English law, the United
States and American law"
Described War Activities.
Captioned special application" the
letter said:
Il point out that consider myself
particularly suitable for employment
in the intelligence SERVICE" within
what the applicant called the sphere
OF the German air ministry
The document described Gortz's in
telligence work during the World War
and mentioned that he lived year
and a half in the United States, and
three and a half years in London.
During that time, the letter said,
he was again in contact with Amer
can and English wartime aviators.'
The document said. Il am even now
still in touch with military aviators on
the active list, or 1 probably can get
in touch with them again.
II am successful in my methods OF
Interrogation, in which use the draw
ing room tone. There is hardly an
aviator whom I am not able to per-
suade to make more or less important
statements"
Forced to Leave U. S.
Lieut.. Col William E. Cook, gen.
eral staff officer and director of in
telligence for military operations, in
troduced a description Of Gortz's du-
ties during the war.
by Germany to ascertain the organiza-
ton and development of the United
States air forces on one front.
The information was alleged to be
contained in Gortz's own documentary
description of his career.
The document said: "On two Amer
lean air force officers who were shot
art,iy,
to me as a particularly dangerous in
telligence officer and containing an
exact personal description of me-"
The statement gave an alleged &C
count of how Gortz went to New York
and Chicago in 1925 and 1925 as a
lawyer, but was suddenly forced to
leave the United States because he re-
fused to become an American citizen.
1t said that while he was in New
York and Chicago he met American
air force officers whom he had inter-
rogated during the war and was in
troduced to aviation clubs and war
veterans organizations.
Charged in Two Indictments.
Two indictments against Gortz de-
clared:
You are charged that in the Parish
OF Broadstairs and ST. Peters, between
September Is and October, %, this
year, you did feloniously make sketch,
plan or note of Mansion Royal Air
Force Station, which is calculated to
be or might be or Is intended to be
directly or indirectly useful to an
enemy. contrary to section / (b) of
the official secrets act, 1911, as amend
ed by the official secrets act, 1920"
You are further charged that be-
tween September 10 and October "a,
at Broadstairs, you conspired with one
Marianne Emig to commit the offenses
against the official secrets act, 1920"
The prosecution charged &C Gortz'
preliminary hearing in Margate Po-
lice Court that behind the formal Ian
guage of the indictments lay a story
OF attempts by the doctor, aided by the
pretty dark-haired Marianne, to learn
secrets of the Royal Air Force
For four weeks the prosecution al
legged, the man and woman rode by
motor cycle from airdrome to air.
drome, making sketches and notes.
Soldier Sent Photographs.
Aircraftman Kenneth Lewis, young
soldier then attached to the Lee-on-
Solent Royal Air Force camp, also
testified that the woman asked him to
send her photographs of planes and
landing fields.
Lewis said he mailed several pictures
and newspaper clippings to Marianne
later at Berlin hotel, but that none
Of the exhibits were secret informa-
tion-all of them available for pur-
chase at any picture shop.
Some of the pictures were found in
Grotz' possession when he was ar
rested, a detective testified but Mari
snne did not return to England with
Gortz and thus escaped arrest.
Gortz, In statement to the police,
denied he was engaged in espionage
and declared his primary interest in
visiting airports and gathering infor-
nation was to gain material for
novel.