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
At the present moment one case is pending in which a person charged
with attempting to convey information to the enemy is now awaiting his
trial by court-martial; but in no other case has any clear trace been
discovered of any attempt to convey information to the enemy, and there
is good reason to believe that the spy organization crushed at the
outbreak of the war has not been re-established.
How completely that system had been suppressed in the early days of the
war is clear from the fact disclosed in a German Army order--that on the
21st of August the German military commanders were still ignorant of the
dispatch and movements of the British expeditionary force, although
these had been known for many days to a large number of people in this
country.
The fact, however, of this initial success does not prevent the
possibility of fresh attempts at espionage being made, and there is no
relaxation in the efforts of the Intelligence Department and of the
police to watch and detect any attempts in this direction. In carrying
out their duties the military and police authorities would expect that
persons having information of cases of suspected espionage would
communicate the grounds of the suspicion to local military authority or
to the local police, who are in direct communication with the Special
Intelligence Department, instead of causing unnecessary public alarm and
possibly giving warning to the spies by public speeches or letters to
the press. In cases in which the Director of Public Prosecutions has
appealed to the authors of such letters and speeches to supply him with
the evidence upon which their statements were founded in order that he
might consider the question of prosecuting the offender, no evidence of
any value has as yet been forthcoming.
Among other measures which have been taken has been the registration, by
order of the Secretary of State made under the Defense of the Realm act,
of all persons keeping carrier or homing pigeons. The importation and
the conveyance by rail of these birds have been prohibited, and, with
the valuable assistance of the National Homing Union, a system of
registration has been extended to the whole of the United Kingdom, and
measures have been taken which, it is believed, will be effective to
prevent the possibility of any birds being kept in this country which
would fly to the Continent.
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