ESPIONAGE ACE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20073, 20 October 1939, Page 8

ESPIONAGE ACE

EX-GERMAN AGENT | CAREER IN GREAT WAR SINISTER “CIGARS” ’ EXPLOSIONS AT SEA Captain von Rintelen, a famous German spy in the war of 1914-18, wants to work for Britain, as he is a coni seientious objector to Nazism. Most assuredly von Rintelen is a conscientious hater of von Papen, who was his immediate boss in America during the last war.

It was through the stupidities of von Papen that most of von Rinlclcn’s plans went awry, and he eventually arrived in Britain a prisoner, states “Kickshaws” in the Dominion. During the Great War of 1911-18 Captain Franz von Rintelen of the German Naval Staff crossed to New York disguised as a Swiss citizen. He started in business as a cigar merchant. He made ctears from lead tijbes 1 filled with picric and sulphuric acid divided by a copper disc. After a : time, depending on the thickness of | the disc, the contents met and pro- ! duepd an explosion and lire. These | cigars were planted in the cargoes of ! vessels taking munitions to the Allies. When the two chemicals met the j vessel can;Hit on fire. Rintelen did a profitable business as | “E. V. Gibbons, hie.” His factory was I an old German warship laid up in the | docks, which was turned into a cigar i factory. There followed a significant i series of mysterious fives at sea. which j spoke well for the potency of the ingredients of the cigars. Equipment For Russia Von Rintelen did not slop at the manufacture of “cigars." His firm actually obtained contracts to supply 1 munitions and general equipment to ; Russia . The cigars, therefore, had not j even to bo .smuggled on board ships, j No less than 25 shiploads sailed in this manner with flic cigars among the cargo.

It was not suspected that the con-

tractors themselves, actually Germans, were responsible for the fires. His lirm, moreover, developed another method of disabling a ship at sea. A detonator was evolved, the tip of which carried an iron pin needle shaped at the lower end. The pin was connected with the rudder shaft. As the shaft revolved the pin turned with it. It gradually bored its way into the detonator until eventually it pierced the fulminate and caused an explosion, which blew the rudder away.

Von Rinlelen was certainly a busy man. The New York police eventually discovered what was happening, partly owing to the fact that all the cigars did not explode. His hasty departure from America was expedited by von Papon, who had not only quoted von Rinlclen’s real naive in cables to Germany, but had addressed a letter bearing the name to his bank.

Dud Shells Supplied

As a side-show to the manufacture of. cigars, von Rinlelen also entered the munitions business. Aided by German money, he was able to erect factories and obtain contracts for large supplies of dud shells, and fuse calculated to explode in the barrel of the guns on the Western Front, thereby destroying them.

Indeed, a specific warning was subsequently circulated among the artillery units of the British Expeditionary Force not to use fuses marked “ZZZ," as they were defective.

Another interesting sideline of von Rinlelen was the creation of a Wharf Labourers' Union in competition with , existing unions. Ho ottered such attractive terms, eventually he got most of tlte members of the other unions to join his union. He then started a series of labour troubles and strikes, which seriously interrupted the loading of cargoes.

If von Rinlelen is gennuinely against Hitler and Company, he would prove a useful individual, bet there is always a doubt. Proof of his sincerity or otherwise might be dearly bought. !

His haired of yon Papen, however, j is sincere. The evidence which sub- i sequcntly convicted him consisted of : documents found in von Papen s suit- i case which von Papen lost in English waters when he was returning to Germany. Von Riutclcn openly indicated just what he thought about it all. I