The German Spy in America; The Secret Plotting of German Spies in the United States and the Inside Story of the Sinking of the Lusitania (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II CAPTAIN FRANZ VON PAPEN, DIRECTOR OF GERMANY'S MILI- TARY ENTERPRISES ON THE AMERICAN FRONT "I ALWAYS say to these idiotic Yankees they A had better hold their tongues." So wrote Captain Franz von Papen, German military attache in America, to his wife in Ger- many--a letter which he entrusted to Captain James F. J. Archibald, American newspaper correspondent and bearer of secret and confiden- tial messages from Teutonic representatives. The German word which the Captain used was "bloedsinnig," meaning silly, stupid, idiotic. It has a sneering ring, truly typical of the Prussian warrior's contempt for Americans. It suggests the disdainful feeling which the military attache had for the loyalty of Americans. One can imag- ine his sly laugh as he handed to an American that letter and code messages to the War Staff. With a similar feeling of contempt for the British, when dismissed from this country and assured of safe conduct as to person, he carried on board the steamer Noordam a portfolio of papers from friends reflecting the same disgust for America and outlining his own unlawful and criminal acts in America. But in both instances his arrogant self-confidence brought exposure. This attitude of arrogance was Captain von Papen's chief characteristic. Joined to it was the brother trait, bluntness. He believed that the American people were not only stupid but also weak-sighted and that he could do anything he wanted without detection. So he put his heart and soul into military and criminal enterprises upon American soil. The Captain apparently thought that the American authorities would not suspect his machinations, for, unlike Captain BoyEd, he made comparatively few efforts to cover up the trails of his activities. That...