THE KAISER'S SPY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20762, 3 January 1931, Page 8 (Supplement)

THE KAISER'S SPY.

STEINHAUER'S STORY.

Espionage appears to bp a necessary though unpleasant accessory to tho game of international diplomacy. Gustav Sleinhauer in " Steinhauer: The Kaiser's Master Spy: As Told By Hiihself," gives a glimpse of the activities of the German Secret Service during tho years 1900-1914 when he himself was known as tlie Kaiser's master-spy. According to Steinhauer, who displays throughout the book a rather pronounced pro-British bias, the German spy-system in England broke down badly at tho outset of the War. I'll is failure was duo partly to tho activity of Scotland Yard in rounding up suspected agents and partly to tho cheeseparing policy of the German Foreign officials who apparently considered that the glory of serving the Fatherland should compensate for the hardships of a spy's difficult and dangerous job. One is given the inner history of some espionage cases, such as tho case of Karl Lody, whom Sleinhauer describes as " brave, good-tempered, generous, but no detective, which every spy must -bo." If tho account here given is true he was certainly extraordinarily careless about giving rise to suspicion. Sleinhauer himself was once entrusted with tho task of spying on Lord Charles Beresford when tho British Fleet was visiting Denmark, and ho describes how ho followed Lord Charles and Sir Percy Scott when they went on board a private yacht, and standing behind a mooringpost listened to their conversation, which contained " dozens of things of great interest to Germany." Sir, Percy Scott, it appears, was grumbling disrespectfully about the Kaiser. " I am not a servant of that young man " ho growled to his superior, " and in future I will not take any notice of him." " Not so loud," said Beresford—trying to calm him. " He is at any rate an Emperor and the nephew of our King." Well, there is tho story, and readers may be left to decide for themselves whether it rings true to the characters of Scott and Beresford. The second half of tho book is entitled "In the Shadow of the Kaiser," and gives glimpses of the " All-Highest " from 1889 onwards. But alas, for the short, memory of mankind. Tho ex-Kaisor is now so very much " Ex " and so little Kaiser that be has lost in interest and news-value. Nor aro the glimpses of particular interest in themselves. In fact the whole book gives the impression of being written to sell. There is too much repetition and too much padding and there is what in a German can only be called a rather feeble attempt to toady to tho British public. " Steinhauer. Tho Kaiser's Master Spy: Ab Told By Himself " (The Bodley Head).