BADEN-POWELL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 May 1915, Page 2

BADEN-POWELL.

AS A SPY.

Lieut.-General Sir Robert BadenPowell has written an entertaining little book entitled "My Adventures as a Spy." The founder of the Boy Scout movementVhas had a wide personal, e^-oirience of the work of investigavoi-, which comes within the sphere' ola military spy's duties, and he describes his own adventures in that capacity, and tells some interesting stories of the expedients employed by spies in accomplishing their missions. Speaking of the operations of roreign spies in Britain, ho says: "Fortunately for vs 5 , we are as a nation considered by others to be abnormally stupid; therefore easily to be* spied upon. -But it i* not always safe to judge entirely'by appearances. . . Foreign spies stationed in our country saw no difficulty in completely, hoodI winking so stupid a people; they never supposed that the majority of them ;have all been known to our Secret ; Service Department, and carefully watched, unknown to themselves Few of them ever landed ihl this country without undergoing the scrutiny of an unobtrusive little old gentleman with a tall hat and umbrella, Irat the wag of whose finger sent a detective on tne heels of the visitor until his actual business and location were- assured and round to be satisfactory. . On August 4th the day before the declaration of war the twenty leading Spies «™re forma% arrested, and also oyer 200 of their minor- agents were also taken in hand, and thus far their organisation failed them at the moment when it was wanted' most. Steps were also taken to prevent any substitutes being appointed in their places. Private wireless stations were dismantled, and by means of traps those were discovered which had not *a £ olu l S£ anly sported and registered." Jhe author illustrates his work with sketches of butterflies, leaves and other ingenious devices for concealing the information obtained'by spies in the course of their work