SCHOOL FOR SPIES

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18040, 7 June 1930, Page 14 (Supplement)

SCHOOL FOR SPIES

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 w'arrior. In “Secret War,” by Thomas AI. Johnson, a former Ametican war correspondent, there are many astonishing stories of the espionage systems of all countries and I,heir amazing ramifications during the Great AVar.

The woman was ruthless, for she is reputed to have shot in cold blood one /Of her pupils who disappointed her. Then these 'is the story of “Zero,” a German spy, who was persuaded to

There is, for instance, 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 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 to the house and kept away' from each other during training, Secrecy In Everything

Betray His Masters. His reasons for so doing were as follows: “Though I am a German, yet I bate the German Empire as it is today. 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 inothei, 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 aSsassiratcthe Kaiser, one of several. Nerves shaken, the Kaiser withdrew to a secluded hunting lodge, taking a few trusted officers, Including my brother. 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 that .instant .the Kaiser, stepped into the.room., .Embarrassed, because the Kaiser was such a stickmy brother jumped to his feet, clicked his feels, and in .an evil .moment trust. his h',and - toward his tunic to button it. But sudden fear of another, attempt' to. kill him seized the Kaiser.. Like a flash, hp drew a, revolver , and:;shot my brother dead. An instant .later, he realised what he had done- and almost , collapsed. He tried to malic: 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

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, arid presence of mind. If he passed that grilling his troubles began. Through waking hours he w'as scientifically crammed by' one German expert after, another 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' more secret. Mysterious men, described only as ‘of (he 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. They showed him how to write, often with a hall-pointed pen, invisible messages on paper, handkerchiefs, margins of newspapers and bow 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.”

TRAINED BY BEAUTIFUL BLONDE. ESPIONAGE SECRETS OF THE GREAT WAR.

espionage secrets to the American Intelligence Service. President Wilson was the object oi many assassination plots, it is disclosed, and he had a personal spy, a woman journalist-, who was known as itQii or J ~N umb er 8.” This woman carried out numerous hazardous tasks in Germany, and then ventured Into Bolshevist Russia. She was arrested by “Re'd” agents, and after spending months in prison ' the American Intelligence Branch got into personal touch with Tchhitcherin and Krassin. Thev were told that Trotsky wanted to shoot her, but finally he was induced to let her return unharmed to America, her identity being kept secret. Surely

The Most Comic of All Spies was none other than Jack Johnson, the negro prize-fighter. “The former world champion sought 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.” He wanted to do something for his country, so went to the Secret Service in Spain. Apparently" he introduced Jiimself with the remark, “I guess you know I m hot dog .in this town. I know -all the. knowin'gist people Jn Madrid. 1 *1 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 wapt’ to be .secret service man. 'That’s .what I’m' cut out for.” . “Jack,” states the 'author, “was sufficiently' anil 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 cornin’- they just'run ' right away. ’Course I can’t get information, from ’em if they run away!”