Evening star., 1940-08-24
'Ex-Army Officer Acts
As Nazis' Key Man on
COLOMBIAN Islands
Capable Herr Regnier
Has Fuel Oil Facilities
And Propaganda Handy

bean TO SerDe UeU submarines
and armed raiders, 7Oritten by
tho adventurous Sea-going re-
porterS lrho hare Just returned to
Ne1o York from a "snoop cruise
in those matters.
By LEICESTER HEMINGWAY and
ANTHONY JENKINSON.
NEW YORK, Aug. 24.-When
President Roosevelt interrupted his
1899 Caribbean fishing trip aboard
a United States cruiser to visit Old
Providence he was doubtless at
tracted to the island as much by its
mountainous beauty, fishing posi-
bilities and romantic history as by
its immense strategic Importance,
lying athwart the vital New York
Panama and Panama-New Orleans
steamship routes, within 300 miles
Of the Panama Canal.
The Presidents warShip anchored
off the northwest point of the island
and he stepped into whaleboat to
go ashore, but as he was approach
ing the little Catalina Harbor dock
the rain started, so he remained in
the boat and talked with the group
gathered on the dock to greet him.
He praised the beauty of the island
and asked about the fishing and
whether Sir Henry Morgan, famous
pirate of the 17th century, who had
made Old Providence his base, had
left any buried treasure.
If he had been aware of the close
+l,ot ho Novic noVinp
to the island, however, the President
would probably have gone ashore or
at least stopped over long enough to
permit his ships officers to in
veStigate.
Moreover, it is probable he would
have visited St. Andrews Island,
lying so miles to the south OF Old
Providence.
Regnier Is Nazis' Key Man.
An 8O-year-old blind hermit is the
only American living on these
-islands-which belong to Colombia.
The United States neutrality patrol
does not cover them. No passenger
steamers visit them and only occa-
sional trading schooners call.
On st. Andrews, Nazl activities
are in the extremely capable hands
of Bernhard Regnier. Herr Regnler
came to Colombia in 1921, but did
not apply for Colombian citizenship
until last year, after Hltlers armies
had marched. During World War
I he served first as an officer in
the German Army and later in the
l.
Providence to set up a radio station
at the summit Of the islands highest
mountain, but two years later, after
the death of one of his German COL
leagues, he dismantled the station
and returned to the mainland.
In 1898 he went to st. Andrews.
Starting in business in small way
he has now become the owner of
the biggest general store on the
island and the community's most
influential citizen. He is quick
Witted and dapper and moves around
with brisk military precision, de-
spite limp. To find man of Reg
: niers energy and organizing ability
on a small, isolated island such as
st. Andrews population 4,OOOD is
surprising.
Fuel Oil Facilities.
Besides his commissary and its
three branches Regnier owns bar,
patroniZed by the islands elite, and
two garages Outside one garage he
has erected a gasoline pump, draw
ing upon a large underground tank,
and a concrete tank for fuel stor-
age. This enterprise is strange,
since there are fewer than SO auto
mobiles on the island and the ma
tives have a prejudice against buying
gasoline out of anything but regu-
lation-size cans. This fuel store is
right on the water front and ship
ment by night to a vessel lying in
the bay or around the other side OF
the island in Southwest Cove is easy.
Regnier has his supplies brought
from Barranquilla either in the
schooner Resolute, owned by his
brother-in-la James Rankin OF
Old Providence, or in the large,
three -maSted schooner Urios, owned
by the Curacao Trading Corp. This
corporation, with headquarters in
Barranquilla as well as Curacao, is
in a good position to lay its hands
on Diesel fuel oil.
Regnier attends to the spiritual
- welfare of the ISLANDS by broadcast
ing across the market place, through
a loud-speaker outside his commits
sary, the news reports in English
from Berlin The majority of the
islanders, of British West Indian
Protestant stock, are English-speak-
ing, so that Dr. Gcebbels' foreign
language program comes in handy.
Regnier Acts as Nerve Center.
A man of Regnier's caliber how
ever, is not wasted by the Nazis
merely on setting up a fuel depot
and propaganda machine. Utilizing
the strategic position OF St. Andrews,
he acts as nerve center, focal
point of information, for the Nazis in
the Caribbean.
The Governor of st. Andrews and
Old Providence, the captain of police
and the young lieutenant in COM
mand of the 80 marines training on
St. Andrews have no doubts about
Regnier's loyalty as Colombian.
Nightly they gather fa- drinks in his
bar. He is successful businessman,
speaks perfect Spanish, and is their
friend Gov. Guillermo Ruiz Rivas,
however, is aware tnat the two
islands under his authority have
great strategic importance in the
Caribbean.
German submarines secretly us
ing our harbors and coveS as bases
could do terrible damage in the
Caribbean" he told us in an inter-
view. Moreover, the outer Gays,
which are also in my province
Serrana and Quito SCeno-are tre-
mendously important. They are un-
inhabited and visited only by occa-
sional turtle fishers Under their
lee U-boats could refuel from sup