Evening Star Newspaper, April 27, 1930, Page 101

THE. SUNDAY. .STAR, W.ASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 27, 1930. How the Secret Agents of Germany Helped in Bringing A bout the Armistice Continued from Fifth Page some accomplished liars im G-2,” they Yed like gentlemen, in a good cause—their country’s. A eo-mpohm lot, for as one of their leaders “Counter espionage work reéguired officers wbo were diplomatic, tactful, discreet and bad a knowledge of the Prench language, people and customs. Fortunately, excellent material was found among Americans who had resided or traveled abroad. . The operation of a secret service requires constant attention to duty and to details. It calls for a large num- ber of investigations, a good many of which lead to no satisfactory solution. Every item of information received must be carefully ans- lyzed, weighed and connected up. This means a great deal of drudgery. But withal, if the Sghting troops feel that they are protectea from the enemy agents by an efficient counter- espionage service, those engaged in the work are fully repaid for their efforts.” This work was directed largelv from the office im the old French barracks at American G. H. Q. in Chaumont, by a little group of officers more or less experienced in secret service work. One of those was Col. William O. Reed, now dead, an old comrade of Gen. Pershing. The two departments of espionage and counter espionage, spying and spy chasing, were headed most of the time by two unusual men, Lieut. Cols. N. W. Campancle and Aristides Moreno, short, nimble, dark, of Savoyard and Spanish descent, masters of a half dozen languages each, in which they might with triumphant safety transact business when visited by less accomplished newspaper correspondents. Both had been in Gen. Pershing’s secret service in Mexico. TBB!R executive officer, Maj. J. S. S. Rich- ardson, was a former newspaper man who, before we entered the war, helped the British secret. service chase German spies and was one of a volunteer secret service among New York newspaper men. Since most of G-2-B's secret work was counter espionage, this article con- siders spy chasing. The object of counter espionage in the A. E. F. was to spread a net over Europe that would catch German spies already behind our ¥nes and prevent others from getting there. American counter espjonage had two power- ful arms, the Silent Watchers and the 1. P. Silent Watchers was net, of course, an of- ficial name, but it describes what they did. Forty or fifty thousand of them played in the A. E. F. a double role, outwardly soldiers like any others, drilling, hiking, fighting, but unlike the others, never relaxing eyes, ears, wits in their search for spies and traitors in their midst. Their un- sung service was as heavy as it was unsuspected. It brought to none privilege nor reward; to not a few wounds, sickness and death, for they shared every hardship and went over the ‘op with the rest. Throughout the A. E. F, roughly to every platoon, to every group of 60 men, there was one Silent Watcher. Nobody knew of his ex- istence except one officer in his company to whom he reported. This officer in turn reported to another higher-up, until the peak of the or- ganization was reached in an officer of the division headquarters staff who, in turn, re- ported directly to G-2-B at Chaumont. The or~ ganization had only one purpose, and usuaily stuck to it, to detect spying and disloyalty. Si- lent Watchers were not supposed to report vioe lation of regulations, lax morals, even crime. Although German-Americans as a class be- haved splendidly and proved themselves more American than German, not all were so. Nor were all connected with the dual monarchy loyal to their adopted country. Some of them hated the Army they were drafted into, which found itself confronted with a situation unparalleled in any allied nation. In the 77th Division alone, the polyglot New York City draft division, 800 men were weeded out and left behind througn the Silent Wat~hers, IT was sometimes hard to detect just what they sought. The most dangerous men were not those of German or Austrign birth or descent who became conscientious objectors or asked non-combatant duty, but those who sought combatant duty and even promotion. Many such were transferred, lest the safety of their comrades in battle be jeoparized. The policy was to take no chances, but to transfer suspects without waiting for positive proofs. An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. Nor could the Silent Watchers reveal :,hsmsrh'es or their organization by testifying n court. A certain New York Congressman unwit- tingly helped in weeding out undesirables from the 77th Division, by sending its commander bales of rubber-stamp-signed letters asking soft Jjobs for constituents with German connections. ‘The jobs they got were sometimes on the rock pile—but they did not go to France. ‘The system worked so well in the divisions that it was extended to the whole A. E. F., serv- ices of supply, ports, replacement centers, hos- pitals thereby covering every uniformed Amer- ican in PFrance or England. It was the Silent Watchers who got the Ger- man sergeant and his stolen codebook the nigh before Cantigny. Barely in time their suspicions had been aroused. The Silent Watchers discov- ered a movement to stir up race hatred among the negro troops that resulted in their being sent home first of all A. E. F. units, and also in warnings to the Washington and Chicago po- lice of the race riots that followed their return. After the armistice the Silent Watchers de- tected repeated efforts to incite American troops to bolshevism in Germany especially, and found bolshvik messages hidden in a quarter of beef and a loaf of bread. No other army but the American had this system. THAT other arm of counter-espionage, some- times even of espionage, the I. P.—what & company was theirs! The Corpe of Intelligence Police was probably the most romantic body of men in the A. E. P, suggesting the Foreign Legion or Walker’s Filibusters. These picked spy-hunters were picturesque from the start, when the first 5¢ were recruited largely in Ola World New Orleans, by mysteriously worded newspaper advertisements about work for daring men who spoke French and German. Daring men respended. One had held up a Russian traia single-handed. Another had mur- Notes offlrt Continged from Nineteenth Page as Nebraska, as far south nd east as Texas, representing art associations and institutions, and including teachers of art in colleges, officers of art societies, etc. Not the least interesting part of the meet- ing was the place in which it was held, the Art Museum of Santa Fe, a unique building, in the style of the old historic houses in New Mexico. An extremely interesting exhibition ot the works of Southwestern artists was on view, inchaded in which was an excellent painting by Miss Catherine Critcher of this city. whe, it will be recalled, is a member of the Taos So- ciety. Santa Pe has become in recent years a favorite resort for artists, as well as writers. Among those in attendance at the coffvention were Gustave Baumann, Bert Phillips, Sheldon Parsons, Boyer Geonzales, Herbert Dunton, Frank Applegate and others. Among the writers presemt were Mary Austin and Witter Bynner. The artist colony at Santa Fe alse includes Eugenie Shonnard, the well known woman sculptor. Besides excellent papers, which were present- ed by authoritative speakers, visits were paid to the Indian pueblos, where some of the finest pottery is produced; also to the home of one of the now prominent Indian painters, and an Indian ceremonial dance was given in the court of the art gallery one evening. It was interest- ing to find that the several tribes of South- western Indians are not only reviving their native crafts and producing work of exceptional beauty, but that among the younger genera- tion a group of extremely talented painters has lately risen. AN exhibition of paintings by M. G. Ignon of France was held at the Yorke Gallery from April 14 te 26. This consisted of portraits in oil, landscapes and city pictures and a number of drawings. The place of honor in the gallery to the left of the entrance was given to a portrait of the French Ambassador, M. Paul Claudel, and, with suitable allusion to his distinetion as poet and playwright, pictured him holding a book in his hands. To the left of this hung a portrait of the counselor of tlle French embassy, M. ‘ules Henry; and to the right a portrait of Mr. Murray-Sheeban, author of “Eden,” while on the oppesite wall was to be seen a portrait of Mrs. Job. In the gallery to the right of the entrarfte were portraits of M. Pierre Henrotte, concert master of the Metropolitan Opera; M. George Barrere, the distinguished flutist, now of the Barrere Quartet, also of Mr. Emery and Mr. Remy. All of these portraits were in similar style and dered an officer and deserted from the French army. A third tried later to do about the same for an American officer. A fourth was a Bel- gian noblemam who macde a most sueeessiul agent, posing in Paris and Langres as a wealthy French banker. Few knew military diseipline, most were cosmepolitans, French, Italian, Span- ish, German-Americans former actors, news- and Artists. manner—very flat, with little range of variation in color, and startling delineation of eyes and lids, giving an appearance inclining toward the grotesque. Too feeble and indefinite for eari- eatures, these paintings suggested to the un- inftiated immature aehievement, but to the knowing they seemed to show an effort on the part of the artist to snatch at the primitive through sophistication. It is said that the French Ambassador has expressed approval of the portrait of himself, but if so M. Paul Claudel is indeed a modest man. In recent years there has been a tendency on the part of certain artists to return to the simplieity of Holbein. But Holbe'n was a great draftsman and a great painter. Works-of the sort that M. Ignon presents unfortunately lack these fine qualities. They are eccentrie, out of the ordimary, but that is all. In interesting econtrast were M. Ignon’s paintings of ““The Edison Plant on East River” and “The Bay of New York,” the last a very attractive and satisfactory interpretation of New York's sky-line as seen from an approaching ship, rising above the mists of the early morn- ing. These paintings give indication of the painter’s real ability, and further confirm the belief that his eccentricities were assumed, not natural. N exhibition of “Btchings of the Sea” by Philip Kappel and W. H. Sherwood has lately opened in the Veerhoff Galleries. Philip Kappel is one of the leading American etchers of today and his etchings of ships are uncommonly artistic and attractive. Mr. Sher- wood’s work is less well known, but scarcely less commendable. ANNOUNCMNT was received during the past week of the award of a water-eolor medal to Clara R. Saunders of this city for a work shown in the Southern States Art League’s annual exhibition at New Orleans. A’L'I‘ENT]ON should be called again to the notable exhibition of paintings, sculpture and applied arts by Hungarian artists which opened with a private view and reception in the National Gallery of Art last Wednesday afternoon. This exhibition, which is shown under the auspices of the American-Hungarian Foundation and the American Federation of Arts, comes to this city directly from Barcelona, where it -constituted the major part of the Hungarian exhibit last season. It is a notable display and will be on view here until the end of May. An illustrated eatalogue with an introduc- tion by an authoritative Hungarian writer on Hungarian art has beem published and is available to the public. Reviews of the New Books. Continued from Eighteenth Page came they brought their families. A minute or two will suffice for you to figure out the long sequence of social, political, economic and edu- cational effects of this simple expedient upon the two orders of settlement and occupation. Merely a theory, but an interesting one whose proof is elusive, but whose plausibility is of easy reach. While the study is projected in support of a theory, it contains a notable body of in- formation that is wide in scope, speeific in point, accurate in general substance and most certainly applicable to a theme which cannot be held as negligible. Now the theory in ques- tion, like every theory, looks two ways. To this man race purity is the Negro's only hope. To the one on the other side of the shield reckon- ing in the million-year units which we, today, so blithely bandy about, the vision is quite an- other one. “Oh, let the Negro alone,” this one says. “In 4,000,000 years, or thereabout, he will have ecome out lily-white in the wash of America’s amazing life!” RICE: A Novel. By Louise Jordan Miln, au- thor of “Mr. Wu,” etc. New York: Fred- erick A. Stokes Co. background of this new romance by Mrs. Miln is the peasant life of China. A true variant, it proves to be, from this author’s other novels of the Far East, since, unlike these others, it concerns itself entirely with the common life of the people. An inexhaustible peasantry is objectified, in its general poverty, its hard labor and scant returns, its stoic composure before a sinister fate. Here are the millions in their daily behaviors and appearances—food, cloth- ing, ceremonial rites in homage to ancestry, modes of thought, small easements and satisfac- tions—just the great mass among whom Mrs, Miln has set the characters of her story. A mother and daughter, familiar pair the world over. The one all devotion, all sacrifice. The other young and ardent and outreaching. In their human nature these two are close-of kin to all the other mothers and daughters. Around this universal theme is spread Mrs. Miln's deep knowledge of China and the Oriental nature. ‘The aspect of the country is sketched here with warm and intimate touches of the daily inter- course of working people and the land from which they are wresting sustenance. The look of the land comes here at many a point—its vasiness, its inscrutability, its unready response to the human, its not overfriendly bearing to the laborer. It is clear that the writer loves the locale in which she engages herself. Mrs. Miln possesses the equipment of the historian. Her knowledge of the East is wide and true and illuminating. With it, however, she chooses to be the romancer, the adventurer and not the pedagogue. A choice for which readers are glad. A dozen tales of China from this writer serve to reveal the country and its people by way of a sympathetic friend and gifted inter- preter. “Rice” is, by way of its different out- look, a most valuable addition to the Miln ro- mances of the Chinese people and the land itself. Books Received WINDS OF GOBI. By Robert Hyde. New York: Payson & Clarke, RIDING THE AIR WAVES WITH ERIC PALMER, Jr. New York: Horace Liveright. HIS GLORIOUS BODY. By Robert Norwood, Rector of St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York City. New York: Scribner’s. WATCH YOUR MARGIN; An Insider Looks at Wall Street. Anonymous, with an Intro- duction by W. E. Woodward. New York: Horace Liveright. DROLL PARADE; Poems and Ballads. By Carlton- Talbott. New York: Horace Live- right. OL’ KING DAVID AN’ THE PHILISTINE BOYS. By Roark Bradford. Drawings by A. B. Walker. New York: Harper. THE AGE OF YOUTH. By Arthur Somers Roche, author of “Marriage for Two,” ete. New York: Sears. GIVE UP YOUR LOVERS. By Louis Gold- ing. New York: Cosmopolitan. IN SPITE OF ALL REJOICING; A Soldier's Diary of the Great War. With an Intro- duction by Henry Williamson. New York: Duffield. THE PATTERN OF LIFE. By Alfred Adler. Edited by W. Beran Wolfe, M. D. New York: Cosmopolitan. THE GREAT CRUSADE; A Chronicle of the Late War. By Jennings C. Wise, D. 8. C, author of “The Long Arm of Lee,” etc. New York: Dial Press. - LOST UTOPIAS. By Harriet E. O'Irh lm- ton: Perry Walton . paper reporters, salesmen or men in business for themselves, fitted by temperament and ex- perience to work “on their own.” No wonder Capt. Royden Williamson had his hands full chaperoning those free companions across the Atlantic. ’ The I P. did much of the “leg work” of searching for German spies, especially in places the Silent Watchers could not eover, and among the civilian population of England, Prance, Bel- gium and, later, Germany and Luxembourg. They were the “detectives” of the G-2-B. That their irregular corps turned some clever trieks shows the ingenuity of the members, for they had never been counter-spies before and largely were self-taught. They had some leetures, French and American, but mostly they “pieked it up somehow.” It was fascinating work, im- dependent, stimulating. One of them says: “I learned not to be too busy—just kinda sit around and look dumb and let 'em come %0 you. Especially in suspeet restaurants where 1 worked as a waiter ” Another puts it this way: “Some tried to be deep and foxy. I worked like the village fool who went out and found the lost donkey that had eluded all the vil- lage wise men. ‘Why,’ they said, ‘how did a fool like you find such a clever donkey?’ Thg fool answered: ‘Well, I wondered what I'd have ™ done if I'd been the donkey, and I did—and he had.”” The 1. P. learned to be just suspicious enough to realize that any one or anything might be worth questioning or investigating. Ome of- ficial definition of counwer-espionage jis ‘“the practical outcome of the fear of having spies everywhere.” Well, they might be everywhere, “ahd everywhere they must be sought. first American sector of the front was in a spies’ paradise, north of Toul, facing the St. Mihie] salient. German Lerraine was near enough so that the civil population was somewhat mixed, and many spoke both léh- guages. Crossing No Man's Land was rather safe, sinee the ecountry was wooded and rough, the front quiet, as successful German desertions frequently showed. No wonder spy stories abounded while the 1st Division, then the 26th, served their novitiate there. Qrk forms flitted across No Man’s Land, mysterious lights flashed, the Germans seemed to have uncanny knowledge of what we were doing, and the answer, of course, was “Spies!” So started the adventure of Padre Joyce. Padre Joyee was a short, broad, rubicund Irish chaplain, fond of humorous stories and the good things of life. For a time attached to G-2-B at Chaumont, he had rejoined the 7th Field Artillery of the 1st Division, on the Toul front. His new domicile was Mandres, a shell- shocked village just behind the front line, where living was primitive. The Padre com- plained to his striker of the monotony of the Army chow provided, when his attention was distracted by rumors, many and disquieting. Mandres rejoiced in a church with a steeple almost intact, readily visible from the great German observation post on Montsec. At night, the rumors said, lights flashed from the steeple. A chance to be a spy-chaser! That night, then, Padre to the dark tower cam:, armed with a pistol to subdue the spy. Long he waited in the chill blackness, ac- companied only by cooing, fluttering pigeons. Finally, after midnight, the ladder rattled. Padre crouched, pistol ready. A man came through the trap-door. A light flashed. “Ah, ye dirty spy, I've got ye! Throw up yer hands!” cried Padre. To his amazement, he beheld the vhm hee of his own striker, who cried: “My God, Padre, put away yer gun belore, it goes off. Haven't ye been kickin® about the chow, and me tryin’ three nights to get seme pigeons for a pot pie?” Bmlu: big attacks like St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne, there was important weork for the I. P. They swept elean the area where hundreds of thousands of doughboys were as- sembling before St. Mihiel. French civilians the least bit suspect, especially women who knew many Americans, were removed where they could do no harm. Theirs was the fate of the famous Mademoiselle from Armentieres (there really was one) who finally had to go be- cause she knew so much about the British army. When the lines of “refugees” came down from the recaptured villages in the salient, the 1. P. welcomed them, and with the Fremch checked them over carefully first for German agents disguised, then for Prench men women who had been friendly with the Ger- mans. During the attack itself, army and corps in- telligence officers were assisted in handling German prisoners by I. P. sergeants who herded them about, searched them and, knowing Ger- man, often picked up valuable bits of informa- tion. On the actual front, the only disguise for a German agents was allied or American uni- form. They ftried both, as some doughboys know, especially those of the 2d and 28th Divisions. The first time the 2d ever were in the trenches, near Verdun, a party of Germans in French uniforms crying “Francais! Francais!” came close, then threw hand grenades, but were routed. The Pennsylvania Guardsmen’s ex- perience was more disastrous. The Germans retook Fismettes on the Vesle partly because Germans in American uniforms shouted orders to retreat, even naming an American officer who they said had given the orders. For some time after that there was a standing order in the 28th Division that any one commanding a retreat, no matier who he was, should be shot on the spot. The next dnd last of this_series of true Amflmn i appear in The Star Masasine nest Spy E;-ori. (Copyright, 1930.)