SCHOOL FOR SPIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 June 1930, Page 8

SCHOOL FOR SPIES

SECRETS OF GREAT WAR

Spies and spying always have that peculiar fascination which attaches to the mysterious. The subterranean activities of the secret service agent have a strange glamour that is just as stirring as the doughty deeds of the warrior. In “Secret War,” by Thomas M. Johnson, a former American war correspondent, there are many astonishing stories of the espionage systems of all countries and their amazing ramifications during the Great War.

The book contains a pen picture of the German super-spy', who was a woman. An officer of the American secret service wrote of this creature that she • was “a beautiful blonde, of great intelligence, who speaks many' languages,.and enjoys a great ascendancy over the clients of the House.” “The House” was one in Antwerp, where, throughout the war, she trained spies to work for the Fatherland. All the pupils were smuggled into the house and kept away from each other while training, in everything being her first rule. ' “Fraulein,” states the author, /gave the new pupil a sort of intelligence test to find out what he knew and could know; his capacity, memory and presence of mind. If lie passed that f grilling his troubles began. Through I waking hours he was scientifically crammed by one German. expert after an’other with information about British, French and American armies, how they were organised, what equipment they used, and what guns. “No ‘modern’ school has a more complete collection of models for demonstration, types of warships, dirigibles, aeroplanes, ships, weapons of all sorts, coloured charts of uniforms and badge ranks. . . . The groundwork mastered, the course grew even more secret. Mysterious men, described only as ‘of the German middle class,’ visited the pupil in his secluded room to teach how, when he had gathered information, to accomplish the harder task of getting it back to Fraulein. “These men showed the learner how to write, often with ball-pointed pen, invisible messages on paper, handkerchiefs, - margins of newspapers, and how to bring out by chemical reagents the further instructions he would receive from time to time, written between the lines of apparently innocent letters. They taught him secret ciphers.” The woman was ruthless, for she is reputed to have shot in cold blood one of her pupils who disappointed her. Then there is the story of “Zero”, a German spy, who was persuaded-to betray his masters. His reasons for so doing were as follows: — “Though I am a German, yet I hate the German Empire as it is to-day. I hate the Hohenzollerns. I hate the army officers. Listen! You have talked about those happy days when you visited us in the Rhineland. You remember our' dear father and mother, and Margrete, and how our brother went to join the Kaiser’s staff, and how glad we all were and went down to the station to see him off? That was the last happy day of my life, I think. Soon after my brother left us an attempt was made to assassinate the Kaiser —one of several. Nerves shaken, the Kaiser withdrew to a secluded hunting lodge, taking a few trusted officers, including my brother.

EMPEROR’S TERRIBLE MISTAKE

“The Kaiser slept in an inside bedroom, protected by an. ante-room, where all night two officers took turns sleeping and standing guard. As dawn broke my brother lighted a cigarette, 'relaxed, and unbuttoned his tunic. At this instant the Kaiser stepped into the room. Embarrassed, because the Kaiser was such a stickler, my brother jumped to his feet clicked his heels, and in an evil moment thrust his hand toward his tunic to button it. “But sudden fear of another attempt to kill him seized the Kaiser. Like a flash he drew a revolver and shot my brother dead. An instant later he realised what he had done, and almost collapsed. He tried to make every amend. It was called a hunting accident, and a brother officer brought home the body.” That was not all. The dead man’s sister was betrayed, his mother died of grief, and his father became a broken man. “Zero” was sent to Switzerland as a spy, and he avenged his family’s misfortunes by revealing espionage secrets to the American Intelligence Service.

President Wilson was the object of many assassination plots, it is disclosed, and he had a personal spy, a woman journalist, who was known as “Q” or “No. 8.” This woman carried out numerous hazardous tasks in Germany, and then ventured into Bolshevist Russia. She was arrested by “Red” agents, and after spending months in prison the American Intelligence Branch got into personal touch with Tcliitcherin and Krasson. They were told that Trotsky wanted to shoot her, but finally he was induced to let her return unharmed to America, her identity being kept a secret. Surely the most comic of all spies was no other than Jack Johnson, the negro prize-fighter. “The former world champion sught refuge in Spain,” relates Mr. Johnson, “where he taught boxing, engaged in wrestling bouts, played in the movies and strutted about with a dashing police dog in attendance.” tie wanted to do something for his country,' so he went to the secIret service in Spain.

Apparently “Jack” introduced himself with the remark, “I guess you know I’m hot dog in this town. I know all the knowingest people in Madrid. I can find out about how they supply the German submarines or dope the mules the Spaniards sell to France, or whatever you want to find out. I want to b.e secret service man. That’s what I’m cut out for.”

“Jack,” states the author, “was sufficiently encouraged, and departed, promising much news of German plots in Spain. He told a good many of his friends that his ambition was attained. But he turned in no information. He explained it this way: “Y’see, these German spies are all so ’fraid I’ll hit ’em that when they see me coinin’ they just run right away. ’Course. I can’t get information from ’em if they run away! ”