West MI5 in the Great War

1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-1-84954-777-2
Verlag: Biteback Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 464 Seiten

In 1921, MI5 commissioned a comprehensive, top-secret review of the organisation's operations during the First World War. Never intended for circulation outside of the government, all seven volumes of this fascinating and unique document remained locked away in MI5's registry ... until now. Recently declassified and published here for the first time, MI5 in the Great War is filled with detailed, and previously undisclosed, accounts centring on the Security Service's activities during the conflict. The main narrative examines MI5's various attempts to both manage and detect double agents; the detection and execution of enemy spies; its study of German pre-war espionage; and the Kaiser's personal network of spies seeking to infiltrate British intelligence. Coinciding with the centenary of the start of the Great War, this historically significant document has been edited and brought up to date by bestselling writer and historian Nigel West, providing an extraordinary insight into the early years of MI5 and its first counterintelligence operations.

Autoren/Hrsg.

West, Nigel

Leseproben

CHAPTER I

MI5 Pre-War

THE Special Intelligence Bureau was started in October 1909 by the Committee of Imperial Defence, at the insistance of the Imperial General Staff, with the object of counteracting the efforts of the German government to establish a spy organisation in the United Kingdom. The work, and consequently the organisation of such a bureau, is naturally divided into two main branches:

1. The investigation of particular cases involving a definite suspicion of espionage.

2. The construction of legal and administrative machinery calculated to embarrass, penalise and, if possible, to frustrate attempts in general and for the future.

On 1 October 1909, Captain Vernon G. W. Kell took up the duties as above and from the inception of MO5 (later MI5) as a bureau and with only the one officer to carry on the work, the duties tended to fall under the two heads mentioned above and then a third dealing with the administrative work as a whole. By 1913, the bureau consisted of three branches eventually known as F, G and H, each with its own special functions.

As far back as 1908, the DMO had drafted a memorandum to the Chief of the General Staff regarding the unsatisfactory position the country was in as regards the matter of German espionage and point out that there was no staff to watch suspicious cases even when reported and at best they could only be superficially investigated and then dropped. Co-operation by other government departments was almost impossible to obtain.

During the early days of the bureau’s existence the ‘G’ or Investigation work had to be done by the one or only officer who was in charge of Captain (now Colonel) Kell, which necessitated his constant absence from the headquarters in London to make personal enquiries into cases and to get in touch with local naval, military and police authorities to assist him. In March 1910 he was given a secretary and later, on 1 January 1911, Captain Kell obtained the services of another officer Captain P. L. Stanley Clarke of the Suffolk Regiment, and the division of the work of the bureau began to divide itself more definitely into the Passive (Preventive) and Active (Detective) Branches, though as a matter of fact both officers functioned on the two duties.

At the commencement of the bureau’s existence, Captain Kell in his G Branch capacity had to investigate some interesting and curious cases of which those known as the Frant and Rusper cases are typical. In the first case a German who gave the name of De Corina took a farm in the neighbourhood of Frant in Sussex, Here he went in ostensibly for poultry farming but it was noticeable that the farm at Bartley Mill was a great rendezvous for Germans, most of whom seemed to spend the greater part of the time cycling and motoring all over the country. De Corina himself was a typical German and it was quite obvious that he could not be making his living from the proceeds of the farm. Although nothing was ever discovered which could definitely connect this man with espionage the whole circumstances of the case were very peculiar and suspicious and the extremely secluded position chosen for the scene of their operations as well as the difficulty of watching it lends colour to the belief that it was used as a centre for espionage.

The Rusper case was similar. Two Germans appeared at considerable intervals of time, each furnished with a recommendation to a gentleman living in the village of Rusper, from a certain baroness whom this gentleman declared he had never heard of before. Those German pretended to know nothing of one another but rapidly struck up an acquaintance, and it is evident that whether they knew one another or not each had a very intimate knowledge of the other’s concerns.

William Melville MVO OBE who, since his retirement from Scotland Yard in 1903 had been employed by the War Office, was sent down to investigate the case, put up in the same house and caused these gentlemen some perturbation. They cross-questioned the landlord closely about him, being especially anxious to know if he understood or spoke any foreign language, and were visibly relieved when the landlord assured them he did not. Shortly after Mr Melville’s arrival the two gentlemen quarrelled (it was evidently a put-up job) and refused to speak to each other during the remainder of Mr Melville’s foray. They were constantly moving about the village of Rusper. In this case too there was no definite proof of espionage but the circumstances were very suspicious.

In November 1909 MO5 sent Melville to investigate one Karl Hentschel who advertised a school at Sheerness and who stated he would also visit Sittingboume and other places. Melville, after enquiries, concluded he was in the German Navy and a spy. This investigation, which also brought into the case George Parrott and the Rileys, was continued during 1910.

So far the bureau in its G capacity had only two detectives, Melville and Herbert Dale Long. The former, however, was too old for such work as constant observation and the talents of the latter lay in rather a specialised direction which rendered him in some ways unsuitable for this class of work. It was, therefore, felt necessary to add to the staff of detectives and Captain Kell applied to be allowed to engage two suitable men. Captain Kell got in touch with the head of the Military Police at Aldershot as a very possible aid in certain cases that might occur in any army centre.

It was becoming daily more evident that it was necessary to have a staff of special detectives as those belonging to the ordinary police force of the country, however excellent they might be as regards crime, had not got the necessary degree of tact to carry out the delicate enquiries involved in espionage cases.

In July 1910 Melville had been sent over to Ireland to investigate the O’Brien case. It appeared that a certain Kate O’Brien, who had a brother in the Royal Artillery at Portsmouth, had written to say that she had plans of the Portsmouth defences and considered them of value. There was some doubt as to whether this could be the case and Melville was sent to find out further information about the plans in the sister’s possession, it was however, found that it was an ordinary map of no military value so no further steps were taken.

On 5 September 1910, a telegram arrived from the GOC Portsmouth defences to say that some of the officers had arrested a Lieutenant Siegfried Helm of the 21st Pioneers (German Army) in the act of sketching Fort Widley. The next day Captain Bonham Carter came up with all the necessary evidence about Helm’s espionage. Then the unsatisfactory state of the law under the Official Secrets Act of 1889, came prominently to notice.

On calling on the Public Prosecutor in regard to the case he gave it as his opinion that the necessary evidence was at hand to apply for a fiat from the Attorney-General to prosecute Lieutenant Helm. As, however, that official was away on the Continent it was necessary to wire for his authority to carry out the arrest. In consequence it was necessary to detain Lieutenant Helm in military custody until 4 p.m. on 7 September at which time he was handed over to the civil power. The German officer was eventually tried and was bound over in his own recognisances of 250, to come up for trial if called upon to do so. As a matter of fact the fort he was sketching had been long out of date and could be of no possible interest to Germany, but the case is illustrative of the difficulty of taking proceedings against a suspected spy. This was one of the many cases that helped towards the framing and production of the Official Secrets Act 1911.

In August Franz Heinrich Lozel became a subject of the attention of MO5G also Walter E. Wilson at Portsmouth, about whom Melville was sent to make enquiries.

Early in 1911 Heinrich Christian Wilhelm Schutte became an object of suspicion and the attention of MO5 was called to the case of Dr Max Schultz at Plymouth whose actions and movements appeared suspicious, and Captain Kell took up the direction of the cases on 6 August 1911.

In April the Chief Constable of Kent forwarded a report about Lozel and he was placed on the Special War List (SWL) for Kent under the heading ‘Search’. A hairdresser, George Wittstruck, at Sheerness was also a subject for enquiries.

In order to obtain information at the ports from ships’ captains who were in a position to act in a certain measure as scouts on the high seas and in the enemy’s harbours, Captain Kell obtained the services of Lieutenant B. J. Ohlson of the Royal Naval Reserve as Mercantile Marine assistant on 10 May 1911. By the end of June 1911, Lieutenant Ohlson was doing regular work for G Branch and through him the names of those merchant shippers plying between London and the Continent who were discreet and willing to keep their eyes open and report useful information were received.

In August, the consent of the Home Secretary to grant warrants in suspected cases of espionage for the opening of letters in the post provided MO5 with a much needed form of assistance in their duties. About this time, one Charles Wagener at Plymouth became an object of suspicion to MO5 who placed him on the SWL under the heading ‘Arrest’.

On 18 August a warrant for the arrest of Max Schultz was issued under Section 1, sub-section 2 of Official Secrets Act 1889 and he eventually went for trial to the Exeter Assizes on 3 November, found guilty and sentenced to twenty-one months’ imprisonment. This case also introduced a German agent named Gustav Neumann, of whom we knew, and also Edmund Ahlers and Francis L. Holstein.

On 22 August 1911, the...