Evening star., 1938-10-02

prosecution when the trial starts in
Federal Court, New York, Tues
day, tDtth high German tuar min
tstry officials dllegedly inpolped In
the plot to steal American defense
secrets. The tollouing story
graphically high lights the back
ground and principals of the
celebrated case.
BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Oct. 1.-Secrets of
Americas biggest peacetime spy drama,
based on a Federal indictment charg-
ing high officials of the German war
ministry with hidden motives in this
country were massed tonight by
United States Attorney Lamar Hardy
Directing heads of the spy ring
reside in Germany and are connected
with the government Of that country"
he said.
Bluntly, the Federal prosecutor
stood ready to demand, in the trial
set for Tuesday:
why did German agents attempt
to steal the mobilization plan for de-
fense Of the Panama Canal Zone?"
And why, too, the prosecutor asks
were Reich war ministry officials so
interested IN Atlantic Coast artillery
defense secrets. particularly the heart
OF this Nations richest territory-the
port OF New York and the great chemi-
cal producing and industrial back
stretches of New Jersey and Delaware?
The alleged plot against Uncle Sans
so-called achilles hell" vital link
between the Atlantic and Pacific
fleets. was barred last February when
Federal agents trapped Fraulein
Johanna "Jenni") Hoffman, rs,
titian-haired former beauty salon
operator on the North German Lloyd
liner Bremen, and three alleged CO.
conspirators in the international
espionage ring.
Held in 100000 Bail.
Since then, the four defendants
have been held incommunicado In
100000 bail. awaiting trial In Federal
Court next Tuesday.
Under the World War Espionage
Act, conviction would mean possible
sentences Of 20 years in prison. In
wartime the penalty would be 80
years-or death.
| Playing against a BACKGROUND OF
European war alarms, the trial has
been heralded as, the top international
spy case since the Paris trial Of Mr..
and Mrs. Robert Gordon Switz, young
American couple in l934-35.
AS developed by Mr. Hardy's aides,
1t may also stir repercussions in Berlin
and other overseas capitals.
The United States attorneys forth.
right statement, naming Germany at
the time of the indictment, climaxed
asperiod Of diplomatic refusal to name
the certain foreign power" whose
agents were allegedly caught red
handed trying to filch United States
Army and Navy secrets.
Then the Federal grand jury indicted
l8 persons in connection with the
plot, and the cat was out of the bag.
High on the indictment list stood
the names OF Capt.-Lt Erich Pfeiffer,
head Of the German Secret Service;
Cspt.-Lt. Udo Won BONN and Capt.-
1t. Hermann Menzel, German air
ministry espionage officers, who allee-
edly directed the far-ilung plot from
Germany
All But -Four Escaped Net.
Slippery as eels, all but. four of the
spy suspects have escaped the net.
Some were abroad when the case
hfNka-ond rornA11nA
to this country.
At least two others hurriedly left
the country on German liners after
testifying before the grand jury.
The two fugitives were DR.. Ignatz
T. Griebl. New York physician with
lucrative Park avenue practice,
who was enrolled as q United States
Army medical reserve officer, and
Werner George Gutenberg. expert
aviation mechanic. employed at
Bristol Pa. airplane factory.
Leon G. Turrou. ace Oman on the
case. said DR.. Griebl gave all the
information against higher-upe in
Gremany" before he fed, without
passport, on the s. s. Bremen.
LEU alone to face trial were the
attractive Fraulein "Jenni" and three
others:
Guenther Gustav Rumrich, 81. alais
Brownie" a former United States
Army sergeant once stationed in the
Panama Canal Zone;
Eric Glaser. 20, a naturalized Ger
man, United States private attached
to the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron
at Mitchell Field, Long Island, air
defense center for New York CITY
and base Of the Eastern Bombardment
Section Of G. H. @. air forces.
And Alto Herman Voss, So, a nat
uralized German, employed at the
Seversky plant at Farmingdale, Long
Island, where closely guarded super"
fighting planes are under construction
for the United States Government,
All have pleaded innocent.
"Jenni" Was Pay-On.
The deceived "Jenni" accordino