GERMAN AGENT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 132, 6 March 1940, Page 6

GERMAN AGENT

SECRET OFFICER AMONG CREW OF SCUTTLED LINER As 513 members of the crew of the scuttled steamship Columbus, of the North German Lloyd Line, were en route to their homeland, it was said authoritatively that Karl Schluerer, alleged high ranking Nazi secret agent, had been found disgused as one of the members of the crew of the vessel. Officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation would neither deny nor confirm the leport of the <ietention of Schluercr, who fled the United States in October, 1938, after having been indicted in connection with a Nazi spy ring, it hvas said that Scbluerer cloaked his real activities under the job of steward on German passenger craft. The members of the Columbus' crew were all of military age and were conducted from Ellis island to Jersey City under heavy guard, whence they were headed for San Francisco, where they were embarkI ed for Germany by way of Siberia i and Russia. At Jersey City the men were turned over to the custody of HapaglJoyd Line officials, who were responsible for them until they were turned over to immigration officials at Angel Island, San Francisco. The Hapag-Lloyd Line paid for their transportation. The remaining 63 members of the crew, including nine women and men were not of military age, were sent home over the same route. Neither newspapermen' nor tlu public were allowed to ta:!k to the men of the vessel scuttled at sea on December on orders from Berlin when she was cornered by a British cruiser. Dr Hans Boreliers, German Consul-General in New York City, spoke to the men as they leff, but only a few of the many relatives oi the German seaiuen were allowed to see them.