Evening Star Newspaper, April 20, 1930, Page 93

Coatinued from Fifth Page the week ends of Lord So-and-So, and Capt. Blank’s gambling debts. Every story, every scandal went into the Black Book, whose size is indicated by the title the British gave it—“The Book of Forty Thou- sand Names.” Allied secret services had heard of the book, but.had heard of little attempt to use it. They had even heard that the Kaiser had forbidden the only use to which it could be put. But it had not been destroyed. Late 1918 was the time, Germany’s desperate need the cause, that brought it forth. Armed with its 40,000 barbed secrets, the German service set about forcing a propaganda in allied countries fer acceptance of German terms, a quick and easy peace. '‘HEY formed a special organization, to ; forge a chain of scandal over Central Eu- rope. Its head in Switzerland was a lawyer, & German Jew related to a certain artist well known in the United States. They would ap- proach, by means direct or indirect, some one of influence in an allied or even neutral coun- try whose sins were inscribed in the Black Book. “Germany wants peace,” they would say. “*You have influence in your country, political, - military, financial, journalistic, whatever. Use that influence now to secure acceptance of the German proposals or we will tell. You don’t think we know? Ah, well, here is just a little of what is in the Black Book!” Some highlly placed men and women faced sheer ruin, social or financial, sometimes both. By great good fortune, the allied secret serv- ices were enabled through information fur- nished by the Americans, to scotch this nest of blackmailers and to close the Black Book. It remains closed, but where? How many peo- ple would like to know! Ruthlessness was illustrated in the case of Edith Cavell, the English nurse the Germans executed in Belgium, a costly blunder in judg- ment if not in justice. Every one knows that Miss Cavell had helped allied soldiers to escape. Not every one knows other interesting aspects of that famous case. Edith Cavell was arrested August 4, 1915, one year after the war started, by Eberhardt and Pinckoff of the German secret servicé. Pink- hoff had spied in Paris before the war. But the Judas who betrayed her was a member of an important Belgian family, whose father was known throughout Belgium. The son had turned renegade, gone over to the Germans, as did a few especially among the Flemish Belgians, and had discovered the cafe near the Dutch frontier that was a rendezvous of Miss Cavell’'s underground railway. Hls information started an inquiry under a German agent named Engel, formerly a jockey, who uncovered Miss Cavell’s numerous allied associates, some of whose activities - against the invaders were plain espionage. On July 31 he caught Henri Baucq, sometimes called Brocque, who under his alias “Fromage” (cheese), was distributing 5,000 copies of La Libre Belgique, the famous secret Belgian news- paper. Others were brought in, including the Countess de Belleville and a woman from Cambrai. Thus far the Germans suspected much, knew comparatively little. Then be- gan a contest of wits to see how much they should find out. It ended in one of the most important vic- tories the Germans won in the secret war. Miss Cavell and her associates were cross-ex- amined by Goldschmidt, former German police magistrate. Their conversations were over- heard by dictographs, and stool pigeons were their cellmates. Steadily all refused informa- tion or to identify their associates—all, that is, but one, the woman from Cambrai. She told. So it was that on October 11, 1915, Miss Cavell and Henri Baucq were led out, tied to stakes and shot. Allied secret service reports are that she did not faint, but died bravely. Pinc- koff got the Iron Cross, Engel a sum of money. But it did not end there. Patiently the Germans followed the trail opened by the woman from Cambrai. Nor was it so difficult as might be, since, unlike most secret service trails, it did not vanish into the ground. Most of the members of the French secret service in Belgium knew one another as spies—a fatal weakness. Once one had talked, it was not long before almost all were followed day and night by shadows awaiting only the word. That word did not come for months. The Germans bided their time until February, 1916. When they made their great drive for Verdun that nearly succeeded—at that instant they put out the eyes of the French secret service in Belgium. They made the greatest spy round-up of the war, 800 French and Belgians, 179 of whom they sentenced to death, and actually executed 66, which German posters announced throughout Belgium. For months the Prench at Verdun fought, half blind, one of their most desperate battles of the war. They did not know what went on behind a large and important sector of the Western front, except as they heard from the British, whose agents worked on safely, largely unknown to one another. There was just one bit of grim satisfaction for the allies. TH‘I traitor who was responsible for it all . continued his treachery. But he had aroused suspicions among the myriad loyal Bel- gians. One night as he entered his house, two men asked him what time it was, then as he stood watch in hand, they shot him dead. Not until 11 o’clock next morning did the Belgian police notify the Germans—for which delay a Belgian police officer went to a German prison. He had tried to give the executioners time to escape, but one, whose name even now this writer will not mention, was moved by some impulse to attend the funeral. There he was caught, again through treachery. It is be- lieved he was executed later, and his com- panion imprisoned. It took almost the rest of the war to rebuild the French secret service in Belgium. 2KH - AT A2 THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 20, 1930. What the Spies Were Doing on the Night Before Americans’ First Attack WHAT manner of organization was this im- perial German secret service? Was it all black? Were all its methods vile, all its mem- bers monsters? How did it work, at whose command? Even 11.years afterward, very few, even in Germany, could answer that last ques- tion fully. The allies never knew all about it. Although with documents and notes before him, this writer pretends only to touch on some as- spects of it. The real German secret service that Europe knew, not their makeshift in the United States, was as diversified and versatile as were the thousands of jobs it did—from deeds of bravery and patriotism to tricks utterly contemptible. It was made up of all sorts of men. Yet there Notes of Art and Artists. Continued from Nineteenth Page not like to live with these paintings, but few could fail to find them vital and enormously engaging. . THE Phillips Memorial Gallery has lately issued the second number of its unique quarterly publication, Art and Understanding. ‘The opening essay in this number is on “Mod- ern Art,” by Duncan Phillips, who notes progress in appreciation on the part of the public for the work of “those genuine modernists who dare to be different from the mode of the mo- ment, who will found no schocls and create no "Funigiin Joid™ A dry point by Cadwallader Washburn. collective art, but may claim the future as their own, moving men to ecstasy and vision through their control of the emotional poten- tialities of light and color.” “It is clear,” he says, “that the public is fascinated by the con- temporaneous and the controversial in art,” but he believes that “the curiosity of the mob which packed the celebrated Armory show in 1913” is utterly different from the interest demonstrated by the large attendance recorded by the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, this Winter. This is followed by articles on “Art and the Business Man,” by Charles Law Watkins, who has undertaken this Winter educational work in connection with the Phillips Memorial Gal- lery, after having pursued for a considerable number of years a business career; by an article by Charles Downing Lay, himself a born col- lector. on “Living With Pictures.” There is a chapter on “Terms We Use in Art Criticism,” by Mr. Phillips and Mr. Watkins and there is a delightful review of the current art seasom by Ralph Flint, for some years art critic of the Christian Science Monitor. Henry McBride con- tributes an article on “Rousseau le Douanier,” and Will Hutchins of this city an appreciation of “Two Composition Sketches by Puvis de Chavannes.” The number is concluded by notes by Mr. Phillips himself on recent exhibitions at the Phillips Memorial Gallery, decorative panels by Mr. Tack, etc., and book reviews by Willilam M. Ivims, jr., curator of prints at the Metro- politan Museum of Art. The unusual publication is illustrated and is essentially enlightening. THI: exhibitions at the Arts Club change today. On the first floor in the drawing room and dining room will be seen from today until May 3 peintings in oil by Mary G. Riley, a member of the club and of the local art organizations, while in the assembly room will be seen oils by Gladys Brannigan, also a member of the club and of local organizations, but now of New York. Upstairs in the lounge and library will be paintings by Alethea Platt of New York, who is the recipient of many prizes and a welcome con- tributor to the leading exhibitions held in New York and other cities, and studies of living creatures of the South Seas, by Elie Chever- lange, a French artist and naturalis. who has spent the pgst Winter in Washington, making illustrations in colors and als. in black and white for the Smithsonian series of scientific books. These exhibitions all promise much in interest and variety. Mrs. Warren Akers and Miss Mary Riley will~ be the hostesses at the opening tea this after- ncon. Miss Riley and Miss Ruth Osgood have been nominated as the representatives of the Arts Club on a committee which will make a general survey of the art situation in Washington. This committee was suggested by the Landscape Club, who took the initiative and invited the presidents of the Washington Water Color Club, the -Society of Washington Artists and the Arts® Club of Washington to co-operate, each ap- pointing representatives, The Landscape Club believes this survey should cover such items as proper exhibition space, sales possibilities, prices and methods of intereting buyers, together with related ques- tions tending to facilitate and improve condi- tions affecting the welfare of the artists of Washington, sts OAKLEY'S talk on “The Miracle of Geneva,” in the auditorium of the Cor- coran Gallery tomorrow, is to be at 3:30 p.m. instead of the hour previously announced. AN exhibition of etchings and drawings by Daniel Garber was opened at the Corcoran Gallery last Thursday, to remain on view until June 1. Mr. Garber's paintings are well known to Washingtonians. He exhibits in the Corcoran biennial exhibitions and is represented in the Corcoran, National and Phillips Memorial Gal- leries. As his graphic work is not so often seen, the current exhibition affords the public a real opportunity. MINIATURES by Margaret Stottlemeyer will be exhibited at Venable’s for two weeks, beginning tomorrow. America’s Helium Problem. (l‘lmmuumotheuumhbe‘lnmnctoh perplexing to the Government, The new plant at Amarillo, Texas, is becom- ing so efficient that the cost of the gas is con- santly setting new low records, yet demand for the product is not satisfactory. During January the gas was produced for $9.64 a thousand cubic feet, as compared with $34, which the Government is paying an out- side concern, but in spite of this difference in price the Amarillo plant was closed down entirely during December and February. In the 29%% days in which the plant was in opera- tion during January 1,052,680 cubic feet of the gas, with a purity of 97.85 per cent, were produced. This record was made with only one of the two units of the plant working. The second unit, so far, has not reached completion, and when it does the cost of the helium will be even lower. It will be possible, with the plant working full speed, to provide enough gas for one of the proposed 6,500,000 cubic-foot dirigi- bles every three months. The question of helium bids fair to have greater significance in the near future with the development of transoceanic dirigibles, which seems likely. ; A new type of high-pressure cylinder is be- ing used to store and ship the gas, and has aided greatly in maintaining a gas of much greater purity than under the tank-car system at the point at which the gas is to be used. It is impossible to exhaust completely all the air in the cylinders, with the result that the gas has a purity of only 98 per cent. ‘This figure, however, is a marked improvement over the 95.4 per cent of the tank-car product. The difference in purity also gives a margin of five tons more pay load in one of the pro- posed dirigibles over the lift of the tank-car gas. The question of purity is always before the dirigible experts, for a certain amount of air is constantly making its way into the bags of the airships, thus lessening the carrying power. It becomes necessary, therefore, to de- flate the bags at intervals and purify the gas. The wells from which gas is taken are so located in this country that the gas minus its helium can be sold as natural gas, with an accompanying revenue which materially les- sens the cost of production. Antiseptics Under Inspection. T'S the label that counts. Uncle Sam has’'issued a warning to the pur- chaser of various antiseptic mouth washes and other antiseptics that the claims on the label are the only ones that come under his jurisdic- tion, and they must tell truthfully what the bottle contains. Many “antiseptics” which do not kill germs are being sold with accompanying ecirculars that claim many things which the product will not do. Of more than 1,000 samples which were in- spected during the last three years, less than 100 bore labels to which no exception could be taken, and in two cases bacteria were actually ° found living in the fluid. ! 7 Citrus Growers Compete. HNNG disposed of the Mediterranean {mlt fiy, everything would be fine for the citrus growers of this country if they could dispdse of the Mediterranean fruit. The greatly increased competition of the Eu- ropean, South African and Brazilian citrus fruit growers ‘is curtailing considerably the possibil- ity of foreign sales of American citrus fruit. The production of oranges for this year showed a decided decline in the United States, 33,739,000 boxes having been shipped, as’com- pared with 54,130,000 for last season. Califor- nia shipped 70 per cent of this season’s output, due largely to the fruit fly quarantine in Florida. ‘21 was perhaps no single organization, “the Ger- man .secret service,” in the sense that many understood. There were several German secret services. The secret army had its recruiting service, with special agents, retired officers, women, but mostly officers or non-commissioned officers in- valided out of the Army. Rank and file re- cruits for spying in allied countries came largely from two classes: The first, persons of allied nationality but weak in loyalty or character, in internment camps in Germany and Austria, or Holland and Switzerland, who yielded not only to money inducement but to promises of better treatment for relatives and friends in the same camp; the second, allied prisoners of war in the German prison camps. When they accumulated some American pris- oners of war—the total was 3,550 contrasted with 48,280 prisoners we took—the Germans tried to weaken their loyalty and possibly to recruit spies among them. Rev. C. C. Jatho, who did gallant chaplain’s work at the Rastatt prison camp, tells of German agents working among American prisoners. A propaganda newspaper containing false news in English was circulated among them. A German official photograph shows “an American journalist” whose unfamiliar countenance is not helped by a Teutonic haircut, interviewing American pris- oners. Did any Americans turn traitor and join the German secret service? Col. Nocolai says not, and so far as this writer knows positively, he tells the truth, at least for the Military Intelli- gence. But there were diplomatic, naval and interior services. In fact, some American secret service officers suspected strongly that one Ger- man-American, at least, was working against them in the German secret service in Spain. HISmmewuottoPrelssandhehadbeen in the Philippines, first in the American Army, then in the Philippine Constabulary. It was known that he had re-entered the German Army. It was rumored that he had been killed" at Tannenberg, yet there were indications that he or some one very like him, familiar with the American Army, was with the Germans in Spain. That neutral country was of greater importance in the allied scheme of things than the world outside realized. Its lead supply helped greatly to feed allied rifles and machine guns, so the Germans tried by fair means or foul to divert the stream. by It was important that Spain at least remain neutral—one reason why a famous and fasci- nating French actress took a trip to Spain, met a very high Spanish personage and, like the Northwest Mounted, got her man. But that concerns a secret service other than ours, ‘The Americans were so sure that their secret foe was Otto Preiss that Maj. John W. Lang, our military attache, once told a beggar who stood outside his Madrid office: “Go tell Otto to call you off. We know you.” The beggar went. The Americans in Spain thought Otto might be “Groskanon, the American,” reported high in the German service in Spain. But no American in Spain knew Preiss, even by sight, so Gen. Van Deman who did know him, was preparing to go to Spain when the armistice came—perhaps just in time to prevent a drama, ° are traces of two others who played the German game, and were known to some as German-Americans: One Bundell of Zurich, another Heintzel, who is said to have helped prepare the way for the German inva« sion of Belgium in 1914. There is no direct evidence that they ever worked against the Americans. We do not know that the sergeant who tried to warn the Germans before Can- tigny was anything more than a traitor. One American in Europe against whom such evie dence incontrovertibly exists had neither German nor any other hyphen, but was a na- tive-born American. It seems strange that the Germans did mot honeycomb the A. E. F. with spies who had lived in the United States long enough to bee come indistinguishable from Simon-pure Amer= icans. The reason was partly that our counter- espionage measures in the United States and in France worked well, partly that the secret war ended in German defeat, especially that part between Germans and Americans. For some time it was a more aggressive war on their part than on ours. They had a stronger reason for seeking information, and their system for getting it was in existence, ours was only starting. Their network of secret lines reached out from Berlin east, west, north, south, to branch centers at Bucharest, Lemberg, Ware saw, Vilna, Antwerp, Brussels, Strassburg Lore rach and Lindau, besides many others, éspe~ cially on the Swiss frontier, like Constance with its two suburbs Emmisrofen and Kreuzlingen across the border in Switzerland offering an easy jumping-off place. Presently there spread through this network the word: “Find out about the Americans.” Watch for the next spy story. It tells how the Germans kept check on the Americans—and more bout our secret service—in the magazine of next abou Sunday’s Star, (Copyright, 1930.) Pennsylvania Regains Lead.” YOU can't keep a good State down, and after . lying back in second place for two years, Pennsylvania came to the fore in 1929 to lead all States in the production of soft coal, re- placing West Virginia, which held this honor for these years. “The Keystone State’s output was 142,400,000 tons, an increase of 8.5 per cent over the preceding year. West Virginia’s 138,015,000 tons represented an increase of 3.8 per cent aver 1928, but was not enough to hold the Jead. The entire output for the ‘Nation was 532,352,000 tons, an increase of 6.3 per cent,