GERMAN CODE

Evening Star, Issue 16627, 9 January 1918, Page 6

GERMAN CODE

HOW U BOATS ARE GUIDED. A United Press despatch from Stockholm (says the 'Montreal correspondent of tho 'Daily Express') states that allied secret service and intelligence officers, with 'tho co-operation of the police of the Scandinavian countries, have recently succeeded in unearthing and dispersing large and ■well-orga.rj.ised German submarine" intelligence officers' headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. TTI3 officer discovered a naval intelligence map of tho waters surrounding the British Isles and the North Sea. Tho water area, on the map was divided into small squares, each one numbered. An elaborate code wns also found for use in conjunction with this map. Messages based on this code, although apparently reading like private mercantile telegrams and cable messages, could in reality be deciphered into accurate descriptions of allied warships or of belligerent or neutral merchantmen. Agents were sent from the spy headquarters in Gothenburg to Scandinavian ports, and attempts were made, whether successful or not. to get them into England. T'hc-w agents wero supplied with the code and maps mentioned, and were reporting to headquarters the sailings of merchantmen. It is supposed that in some way the headquarters in Gothenburg communicated the information to German submarines at sea—probably by wireless stations hidden along the const. One of tho chief branches of the Gothenburg office was in Christiania. Another branch was in Malmo, Sweden. It is believed thai 'many of the agents of the German spies in Gothenburg were Scandinavians. Fragments of this story have already England. Their iniportifiK'c is trebled in the light of the full details which appear' above. -A Norwegian paper recently published part of the German sea spies' code ,as follows : Code Word. Torpedo boat Barrel, first- series. British First quality. Norwegian Black-painted. Swedish Blue, Danish Red. Russian Sixth quality. , An order for " 600 barrels, first quality, first series," would mean "'British torpedo-' boat in square 600 on chart."