SOME AMERICANS
It was not to be expected that the Germans would do no recruiting among
Americans as long as the United States remained neutral. American
journalists were travelling to all the belligerent countries, and
were allowed to see much that could not properly be shown to private
citizens. I believe that all the reputable American newspapers were
very careful in the selection of their foreign correspondents during
the War, and it is, perhaps, for that reason that there was no cause
for suspicion until late in 1916. About that time two so-called
American journalists, B---- and R---- arrived in Europe. The former had
spent several weeks in England before he applied, on 20th September
1916, for permission to travel to Rotterdam as European representative
of the Central Press of New York. Before leaving he told the people in
his hotel that he was going to a certain hotel in Rotterdam which was
known to us as being the resort of German spies, and he wrote a letter
to a person in Amsterdam named D----, against whom there was already
suspicion, about the production of a cinema play. It was noticed that
the letter contained a number of underlined words. In the meantime he
had left for Holland. All that could be done was to keep observation
upon him in that country, and it soon became known that his only
associates were two Americans, one of whom, R----, was marked down for
arrest if ever he came to this country. B---- did appear to have made
a few inquiries from film dealers, but that was all. On 3rd November
he landed at Gravesend and, probably to disarm the suspicions of the
port authorities, he volunteered a statement that while in Amsterdam a
Dutchman had tried to pump him for information, but he had indignantly
refused to have anything to do with him. His luggage was searched, but
not in a way that would allow him to think that he was under suspicion.
He stayed in London for a few hours and then left for Worcestershire.
He travelled about the country for a month, sending occasional articles
to New York; then he left for Ireland and visited Dublin, Cork,
Killarney, and Belfast. At that time the Germans were specially anxious
to receive news from Ireland subsequent to the Rebellion, because they
were being pressed to furnish a fresh supply of munitions together with
German troops.
Meanwhile, careful inquiries had been made in Holland regarding the
man D----, to whom B---- had written when he was last in England, and
it was found that he was a German, and that he consorted with persons
who were known to be in the Secret Service of the enemy. On this a
letter was written to B---- asking him to call at Scotland Yard, and
he crossed from Dublin on the night of 8th December. He could give no
satisfactory explanation as to why he had underlined certain words in
his letter to D----, and he professed the greatest astonishment when
he heard that D---- himself was suspected of being a German spy. A
search of B----’s effects produced the usual ball-pointed pen, unglazed
notepaper, and a bottle of mixture which could be used as invisible
ink. Moreover, he was in possession of a draft for £200 issued to him
on 19th October. It was found that he had attempted to obliterate the
address of D---- in his note-book, and he had the name and address of a
certain person in Rotterdam, who had been known to us for months as an
enemy agent.
Now it chanced that our authorities in New York were in full possession
of the details of the new German conspiracy to flood this country
with journalists. The spies were recruited by a man who passed under
the name of Sanders, who was believed to be closely in touch with
the disaffected Irishmen in America. For this reason the spies were
to take an opportunity of visiting Ireland, and after gathering all
the information that they could they were to go to Holland, impart it
to the German agents there and receive the wages of their hire. They
had instructions also to get into touch with wounded officers lately
returned from the Front and obtain their views on the morale of the
troops.
Now B---- had done all these things: he had visited Ireland, he had
made friends with a wounded officer, and had even suggested to him
that they should make a trip to Scotland together; he had gone to
Holland and had upon him a draft for £200, the equivalent of the 1000
dollars which was always given for preliminary expenses. This man had
heard that B---- had been provided with a wonderful new invisible ink
disguised as a medical mixture, which could be used only on unglazed
paper with a ball-pointed pen. There was also a statement that an
American journalist whose name began with ‘R’ was already doing good
work for the Germans in London.
While B---- was under detention he received a letter from R---- in
Holland: ‘Wish old “C” had been here to help me read the letter.’ Why
should R---- require any help in reading a letter unless it was written
cryptographically? So far, the case was one of suspicion, but on 3rd
February 1917 B---- wrote from Brixton Prison, asking that he might
be visited by some one in authority to whom he was prepared to make
an important statement. A senior officer was sent to Brixton, and to
him B---- made a full confession. He had formerly been the New York
publicity agent for a well-known firm of film producers. One day he
received a telephone message from a man with a foreign accent, asking
whether he would care to go to Europe. He said that it was for very
special work, for which he would be well paid. The voice directed him
to call at an office in New York, where he would meet a man named
Davis. Davis was a pseudonym for Charles Winnenberg, who told him
frankly that the special work was to obtain information which would
be useful to the German Government. The Germans wanted particulars
about our anti-aircraft defences, the movements and the morale of
our troops, and the actual position of British squadrons in Scottish
waters, together with anything he might be able to glean about our new
battleships. Not unnaturally, B---- referred to the danger of such a
service, but Winnenberg treated this with great scorn, saying, ‘They
have only caught two or three, and they were all fools. There will
be no suspicion against you. We will pay you £25 a week and give you
liberal expenses.’
Then, according to B----, Winnenberg became confidential and said
that he intended to go himself to London, whence one of his agents,
known as Robert W---- had already sent him useful reports. He gave him
particulars of the people in Holland with whom he was to communicate,
and added that there were three or four Americans in that country who
would relay his messages if necessary. When B---- pointed out that
the Censor would probably intercept his messages, Winnenberg said,
‘As soon as you have got your passport I will give you the secret
of fooling the Censor.’ On this B---- called on the Central Press
and told them that as he was going to Europe on business he would be
prepared to collect war pictures for them on commission, and in this
they acquiesced. Thus he had a business cover for his journey, and no
difficulty was made about his passport. He then called on Winnenberg
again, who was much pleased with the energy he had displayed. ‘Have you
got a pair of black woollen socks?’ he asked. B---- had not. ‘Well,
go and buy a pair at once.’ When this was done Winnenberg produced a
collapsible tube, from which he squeezed a thick brown liquid. This he
smeared all round the top of the socks. ‘There,’ he said, ‘that is a
secret ink which the English will never discover. All you have to do
is to soak these socks in water and use the fluid as an ink. You must
use a ball-pointed pen and a rough paper, on which the ink will not
run. You must mark all your reports “M,” which will stand for “Marina,
Antwerp.” That is the only place which knows the secret of developing
the ink.’ B---- was given a thousand-dollar bill for preliminary
expenses, and was told that if he got good information he would be
treated very liberally. He explained his visit to Worcestershire by
saying that the wounded officer whose acquaintance he had made had
asked him down there, and he tried to excuse himself with the usual
plea that he had not intended to give the Germans anything of value,
but merely to draw money from them. As a matter of fact, when he went
to Holland he was nearly at the end of his resources, and probably it
was in the hope of obtaining a draft for £200 that he went.
It became clear from subsequent investigations that B---- was trying to
spread his net wide. His wounded officer friend was nominally to be
made a representative of a big shipping firm in America, but actually
of another German agent who was to use him without his knowledge. B----
was also suggesting to a girl acquaintance that she should obtain a
post in the Censorship.
B---- was tried by court-martial on 17th March 1917. His counsel stated
that he could trace his descent back to 1644, that his ancestor had
fled to America after the battle of Marston Moor, and that his mother’s
ancestors had fled from France at the time of the Edict of Nantes. He
was said to be a Bachelor of Arts in the United States, but the only
defence put forward was that he had yielded to a sudden temptation to
make money. He was sentenced to death by hanging.
Fortunately for B---- the United States was about to enter the War,
and his value as a witness against the numerous persons who were being
arrested was realised. It was decided to send him over to New York
under arrest. On his arrival he was charged with a breach of neutrality
laws, and sentenced to imprisonment for a year and a day, for the
sentence pronounced by the British court-martial could not, of course,
run in America. While imprisoned in the United States he gave evidence
against the German master spies, and he seems to have greatly recovered
his spirits, if we may judge from a letter that he wrote to a friend in
England, asking him to try and forward the balance of the money which
he had received from his German paymasters.
Winnenberg, alias Davis, and Sanders were arrested and convicted.
The former made a full confession, which contained, no doubt, a
good deal of romance, for he tried to inculpate many other foreign
representatives besides Germans. According to his story R---- entered
England as an American journalist sent to write articles on the food
situation in Europe for publication in American newspapers. He lost
little time in communicating with a certain Cookery School organisation
which was employed by the Government for instructional purposes. R----
made frequent trips to and from Holland, and then, having run what he
thought was more than his share of risk, he persuaded the Germans to
allow him to remain in Holland as one of their chief agents to deal
with any American journalists who might come after him. Arrangements
were made to arrest him as soon as he set foot again in this country,
but that moment never came. Even when he communicated articles to
the British Press on the International Food question he was careful
to arrange that payment should be sent to him in Holland. After the
articles had been published it was brought to the notice of the editor
that the writer was under strong suspicion. Payment was withheld. R----
then wrote asking for a cheque, and received the reply that if he would
come to England the money should be paid, but he never came, and it is
not known what became of him.
Two other American journalists who were believed to be agents of
Winnenberg were stopped, but since the evidence was insufficient for
bringing them to trial they were sent back to America with a strong
caution against returning to England. It must be understood that
the vast body of American correspondents was quite above suspicion.
These spies were needy free lances who were on the outskirts of the
profession.