_Visiting with Spies in America, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany_
_Told by Bernhart Paul Holst, an American_
This is the remarkable recital of the adventures of an American
who decided to penetrate the war-ridden countries. Armed with
passports and credentials, with letters of introduction by United
States Senators, and knowledge of secret grips and passwords, he
made a journey which brought him into contact with the gigantic
spy system of Europe. The author, who is one of the best known
educators of the Middle West, has given his experiences permanent
historical record in his book: "My Experiences with Spies in the
European War." With his permission selections have been woven into
the narrative herein presented. Copyright 1916, _Holst Publishing
Company_, Boone, Iowa.
[2] I--STORY OF THE START OF A LONG JOURNEY
Manifold were the motives that induced me to leave my home in Boone, a
thriving town in Iowa, and undertake a trip to Europe while the sparks
were flying from the fire of many battlefields. I had no desire to
expose myself to the carnage of war, or to witness the destruction of
men as they fought for the principles which their country espoused, but
rather to pursue in peaceful manner investigations....
My 40-horse-power automobile did good service in the drive of seven
blocks on the rainy evening of September nineteenth, 1915, when I began
my trip to the turbulent scenes of Europe, where the great war, which,
since its beginning in the Balkan states, had been spread as a cloud of
evil over the largest part of the continent.
I confess even now that to me the liabilities of a venture into Europe
at this hazardous time seemed to become magnified, especially as
thoughts of the fate of the _Lusitania_, the _Arabic_ and other ships
passed through my mind, but such illusions, as I choose to call them
now, quickly passed away and I soon felt fully assured of utmost safety
even in the war zone.
In my possession I had an official passport to enable me to conduct my
work of study and research in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland,
issued by authority of the United States Government, which, in order
to become valid in the belligerent countries, required the visa of a
consular officer of each of the countries which were at war and which
I necessarily must enter to conduct my investigations. With this
document in regular form, I felt that my security was absolute, so
long as I traveled on a ship of a neutral country, such as steamship
_Frederick VIII_, which carried the flag of Denmark. These conditions
well guarded, I left home and friends with pleasant anticipations of an
interesting trip across the Atlantic.
As I was about to board the Pullman car, I noticed one of the leading
suffragettes of the community among those who had gathered on the
platform. She was coming toward me with the winsome smile that only a
veteran in the battalion of a suffragette campaign can wear, and I felt
rather pleased than disappointed to have her among those who were to
wish me a pleasant journey and a safe return.
"Put a few bullets into the kaiser for me while you are in Europe"
were the words with which this apostle of equal rights greeted me as I
felt her hand taking mine. "Well," said I earnestly, "I am an American
and am going to Europe to study, to explore, not to fight. If it were
possible, and, if the life of the kaiser were at stake, I would put
forth an effort to save it as quickly as I would, to the extent of my
ability, protect the life of the king of England or the President of
the United States. I believe it to be the duty of an American, when he
is abroad, to so conduct himself that he will be a credit and honor to
his country. This duty compels me to preserve absolute neutrality in
relation to the belligerent nations instead of--" At this point she
began speaking and I cannot recall all she said, but her parting words,
which she intended to be friendly, were these: "If that is the way you
feel about it, if you are not going to help overthrow the kaiser, I do
not care what happens to you."
Having dispatched general business matters, my final object in Chicago
was to have my passport visaed so as to admit me to the warring
countries of Europe. However, this was merely a matter of form, as the
personal letters which I carried from Senator Cummins, Congressman
Woods, Governor Clarke, Senator Kenyon, Professor Bell and many other
men prominent in politics and in education were sufficient to make the
introduction ample and effective.