Evening star., 1938-12-29

10 CaCCn up WIFI LIle mysterious Karl
Weigand.
I hoped Hermann would lead us
to him.
We knew Weigand had travelled
in this country with Fritz Weide-
mann, Hitler's personal representa-
tive. We heard that he was of
such importance that he had his
picture taken together with Hans
Dieckhoff, Nazi Ambassador to the
United States.
We searched the passenger lists
and crew manifests Of all the Ger
man ships which came here, but
found no name remotely resembling
that of Karl Weigand."
DR.. Griebl seemed honestly puz-
zled when I asked him about Karl
Weigand.
I told Griebl to find out from
Hermann. I realized was taking
a chance on double-cross, but
there was no choice.
That's a fake name," Griebl re-
ported back. Karl Weigand is really
Theodor SchuetZ. He is political
leader of the steamship New York.
He is the most trusted operative Of
the Hamburg Office of the Marine
Nachrichten STEELE
The New York was on a West
Indies cruise. When she finally was
due in New York I went down to
Quarantine in the Coast Guard
cutter and boarded her.
Entry on Manifest.
There, on the crew manifest, was
the entry: "Theodor Schuetz,
steward"
But line was drawn through 1t,
and alongside was the notation:
Signed off at Havana, Cuba"
was blazing mad. The fight Of
the Nazi spy ring members was on.
First Schulter had eluded us. Then
Herbert Jaenichen. And now this
man!
I headed for the luxurious quar-
ters of Commodore Fritz Kruse.
What does this mean?" de-
manded.
He took a lofty tone at first.
"It means what it says he de-
clared. The man was signed off
at Havana
I controlled my anger as best I
could.
What do you mean?" I snapped.
"A man signed on in Germany,
signed of In Havana. That's ridic-
ulous!"
He backed down a bit, and I saw
that underneath he was very nerv-
GUS.
"It was on orders from Germany"
he admitted after long argument.
LET me see the orders" snapped.
He went back on his dignity. mo.
OF course not. I can't do that"
he declared.
"All right,"I said. Put on your
civilian clothes and come with me.
You're going before the United
States grand jury"
Certified Copy Produced.
That made him panicky. He rang
for the wireless operator and finally,
after long wrangling, got certi-
fled copy. It read:
Steward SchuetZ to be signed of
at Havana and to return immedi-
ately to Germany without touching
any United States port. Instruct
him to proceed on motor ship Memel,
North German Lloyd. All expenses
to be betrayed by agency connection
with stay Havana"
The radiogram was signed: HON.
berg and La Sale"
Homberg is a director Of the
Hapag-Lloyd in Germany and La
Sale is the chief political leader
assigned by the Nazi party to keep
an eye on things at the Hapag-
Lloyd Office.
Bond was posted with the immi-
grafton authorities at Havana by
the Havana Office of the Hapag-
Lloyd for Schuetz. He was taken to
one of the most expensive hotels.
I was all set to fly there to nab
him, but was overruled by Wash
ington. The Nazi spies must have
got wind of my plans, for instead OF
waiting for the motor ship Memel,
he was put on the S. S. Iberia,
bound for Vera Cruz, Mexico. There
he transferred to a ship bound d.
rect for Germany.
Four weeks later, in response to
my demand, Capt. Dreschel got
letter from the Hapag-Lloyd OFF,
cials in Germany.
It said, in quite elaborate Ian
guage, that the reason that Schuetz
had been taken off at Havana was
that the German government Sus-
pected him of smuggling currency
out of Germany, which was against
the law.
Explanation RidicMed.
That was ridiculed, of course, be-
cause the S. S. New York was bound
for New York at the time, where
he could have been put on an ex-
press ship for Germany.
Besides, there was that damning
sentence in the radiogram to Com
modore Kruse:
Steward Schuetz to be signed of
at Havana and to return immedi-
ately to Germany without touching
any United States port"
incidentally, the double-cross I
feared is exactly what happened.
Griebl found out Weigand's true
identity for me from Hermann, but
at the same time Intentionally or
unintentionally tipped Hermann off
that I wanted Weigand-or rather,
Schuetz.
If the fantastic motives and the
mad drive behind them were not
so potentially dangerous, some of
the ideas these Nazis got into their
heads would be downright funny.
Take, for instance, the time and