Secret Agents At Work

Northern Advocate, 18 July 1939, Page 4

Secret Agents At Work

THERE was once a time when the function of a secret agent was simply to furnish information of a military character. Each nation had its spies. The term is an unpleasant one, yet the spy, in his way, had a more dangerous and not less honourable mission than the soldier in the field. M °dern Germany, however, has given the spy and the seciet agent considerably wider functions. . , . , To-day they are political agents, stirring up discontent and disturbances in any field where it is felt that may be useful. The use of propaganda has been bi ought to the highest pitch of refinement. Agents have been introduced into the offices of reputable French newspapers m order to cotom either news or views with sentiments favouiable to Geiraai agen ts in America has long been known. Some of them were tracked down in a most sensational spy hunt. Others fled before the arm of the American “G-men could reach out to arrest them. Others, again, have contrived to opeiate a highly dangerous and subversive campaign, offensive to American ideals of liberty and citizenship, within the stnetlettei of the law, and' so the notorious German-Amencan Bund, an organisation advocating Nazi principles, has been allowed to flourish even in democratic America. . . There are signs now, however, that the nations are tiling of this ceaseless propagandist activity by alien groups. The special branch of Scotland Yard is being.enlarged to.copeswift the subterranean tactics m Britain In FianceJJ e fh t Minister, M. Daladier, has declared a heresy hunt against enemies of the Republic who are spreading insidious propaganda from within. In South Africa, German agents have long been active in the somewhat favourable atmosphere created by the raciaf differences between British and Dutch, but the Union Government is now taking rigorous measures against them. Australia, too, is keeping a close watch for treason and es P 10 ”? * It is even possible that New Zealand harbour some of these emissaries of Nazi Germany. At any rate, it behoves the authorities here to take no chances. ___