BOGUS ORDER.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1892, 24 May 1933, Page 7

BOGUS ORDER.

VON SPEE LURED TO FALKLANDS BATTLE. The amazing revelation was made in a book published in London recently that Admiral Von Spec's squadron was lured to its destruction on the Falkland Islands by a bogus cablegram sent by a British Admiralty agent, from Berlin, on a German Admiralty form, with German Admiralty and censor's stamp. This sensational story is in "The Dark Invader," by Captain von Rintelen, who states that he heard it from Admiral Sir Reginald Hall, Director of Naval Intelligence. Captain von Rintelen had just surrendered as a prisoner of war after being brought (by another bogus telegram) across from America. Admiral Hall and Lord Ilerschcll, his assistant, gave their captive dinner at a service club. It was then that Captain von Rintelen heard the story of how von Spec was trapped. Dummy Cruisers. Lord Herschell thus began the story at the dinner table: "It was necessary to send the Invincible and the Inflexible out to sink von Spee, so Admiral Hall had two dummy wooden battle cruisers, exact copies of the Invincible and Inflexible, built and towed out to the Aegean Sea, where the real battle cruisers were. One night the two battle cruisers vanished, and the dummies came in unseen and took their places. Nobody knew the difference." Having heard this much, von Rintelen thought his host was pulling his leg, until Admiral nail spoke of "my man in Berlin." Von Rintelen writes: "Your man," I burst out. "My man," said Admiral Hall, calmly. "My agent." I had instructed him to find out how telegrams were sent from the German Admiralty to the ships that were still at sea. He informed me that the metho'd was quite simple. When such a telegram had to be dispatched, a messenger was sent from the German Admiralty to the Berlin chief telegraph office to hand it over. They used special forms, and the telegrams had to be furnished with the stamp of the relevant Admiralty Department, and also "the stamp of the censor's office. I do not know how my agent managed, nor do I think I should have been interested. All I know is that he possessed both stamps and forms, and I have no doubt that he used them. Tou will remember von Spee was at anchor with his squadron off Valparaiso. As soon as I was in possession of this information I sent my agent in Berlin instructions to act. He had been carrying for some weeks a telegram that I had sent from London, set up in Boy-Ed's code, and containing strict orders for Admiral von Spee to leave immediately for the Falkland Islands and destroy the wireless station at Port Stanley, in the Falklands. The telegram from Berlin reached von Spec in Valparaiso. His staff tried in vain to persuade him from going. Meanwhile, the Invincible and the Inflexible were hurrying to the Falklands. Von Spec's squadron appeared off the Falkland Islands early on December 8, 1914. and within a few hours Sturdee had sunk them.