The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915Various
History
The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
None of the men arrested in pursuance of the orders issued on Aug. 4 has
yet been brought to trial, partly because the officers whose evidence
would have been required were engaged in urgent duties in the early days
of the war, but mainly because the prosecution by disclosing the means
adopted to track out the spies and prove their guilt would have hampered
the Intelligence Department in its further efforts. They were and still
are held as prisoners under the powers given to the Secretary of State
by the Aliens Restriction act. One of them, however, who established a
claim to British nationality, has now been formally charged; and, the
reasons for delay no longer existing, it is a matter for consideration
whether the same course should now be taken with regard to some of the
other known spies.
Although this action taken on August 4 is believed to have broken up the
spy organization which had been established before the war, it is still
necessary to take the most rigorous measures to prevent the
establishment of any fresh organization and to deal with individual
spies who might previously have been working in this country outside the
organization, or who might be sent here under the guise of neutrals
after the declaration of war. In carrying this out the Home Office and
War Office have now the assistance of the cable censorship, and also of
the postal censorship, which, established originally to deal with
correspondence with Germany and Austria, has been gradually extended (as
the necessary staff could be obtained) so as to cover communications
with those neutral countries through which correspondence might readily
pass to Germany or Austria. The censorship has been extremely effective
in stopping secret communications by cable or letter with the enemy, but
as its existence was necessarily known to them it has not, except in a
few instances, produced materials for the detection of espionage.
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