Annie Larsen affair
The Annie Larsen affair was a
Background
By 1914, plans for a pan-Indian revolution had been hatched. As World War I broke out, Germany decided to actively support the Ghadar plan. For this, links established between Indian and Irish residents in Germany (including Roger Casement) and the German Foreign office were used to tap into the Indo-Irish network in the United States. In September 1914, the German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg authorised German activity against British India. The German effort was headed by Max von Oppenheim, archaeologist and the head of the newly formed Intelligence bureau for the east. Upon Oppenheim fell the task of arranging the Indian student groups into a cohesive group. Oppenheim also convinced Indian revolutionary Har Dayal of the feasibility of the project and was able to establish contact with the Ghadar Party in the United States. In an October meeting of the Imperial Naval Office, the consulate in San Francisco was tasked to make contact with Ghadar leaders in California. German military attache to the German consulate Wilhelm von Brincken was able to establish contact, through Tarak Nath Das and an intermediary named Charles Lattendorf, with Ram Chandra.
Arms shipment
With the approval of San Francisco German vice-consul E.H. von Schack, arrangements for funds and armaments were secured. Ram Chandra was to receive a monthly payment of $1,000. At the same time $200,000 worth of small arms and ammunition was acquired by the German military attaché Captain
However, the Annie Larsen was not suitable for a trans-Pacific voyage. Frederick Jebsen, a German reserve naval officer with close connections to the German embassy, arranged for another ship, the SS Maverick, to be purchased under the illusion that it was to be used by the "American-Asiatic Oil Company", a fake oil-trading company, and was to deploy between China and Borneo. The plan was for the Maverick to leave empty from San Pedro around the same time as the Annie Larsen leaves San Diego fully loaded. The two would rendezvous off Socorro Island near Mexico. The Annie Larsen would transfer its shipment to the Maverick which would then proceed towards Southeast Asia.[5][6] For this purpose, Jebsen established a fake company to hide the true ownership of the ship, taking his attorney Ray Howard as partner.[6][7] The Maverick received a crew composed of sailors from two German ships interned at San Francisco. An American by the name of John B. Starr-Hunt served as supercargo on the Maverick, and was under orders to scuttle the ship if challenged by Allied warships.[6] The impression at the docks was that the ship was to relieve congestion in the East Indian Coconut industry, in Java and Borneo.
The Annie Larsen sailed for Topolobampo on 8 March 1915 under Captain Paul Schlueter for rendezvous with the SS Maverick. Also placed on board was a person by the name of Walter Page as supercargo. Page's real identity was L. Othmer, the captain of the German bark Atlas, which had earlier been interned by the U.S. government in San Francisco. Page was given complete authority over the ship's movement and he set sail for Socorro Island, off Baja California.[1][8]
However, at this stage the plan started falling apart. The Maverick, which was in
The Annie Larsen sailed to Acapulco to replenish its supplies. However, it faced trouble as three of the crew members refused to sail the ship, claiming it was not seaworthy. Captain Sheultzer was able to successfully appeal for help from the USS Yorktown which was in the area. Its contraband cargo was not discovered by the Yorktown's boarding party. Allowed to use the Yorktown's wireless, the German crew were able to notify the German Consulate of their position and of the failed rendezvous.[9] Sailing from Acapulco, the Annie Larsen made for Socorro Island again. However, in adverse weather, this attempt failed as well, and after twenty-two days Scheultzer gave up, choosing to make for the northern port of Hoquiam, Washington.[1][9]
Returning to San Diego after failing to meet the Annie Larsen, the Maverick was directed by Fred Jebsen to proceed to
Resolving the plot
In the United States, the conspiracy was successfully infiltrated by British intelligence through both the Irish, as well as Indian channels. The activities of Ghadar on the Pacific coast were noted by W. C Hopkinson, who had grown up in India and spoke fluent Hindi.
An Irish double agent by the name of Charles Lamb is said to have passed on the majority of the information that compromised the conspiracy and ultimately helped the construction of the prosecution. An Indian operative, codenamed "C" and described most likely to have been Chandra Kanta Chakraverty (later the chief prosecution witness in the trial), also passed on the details of the conspiracy to British and American intelligence.
On 29 June 1915, the Annie Larsen was raided at Hoquiam and its contraband cargo seized.
Trial
The
Impact on Anglo-American relations
By 1916, the majority of the resources of the American department of the British Foreign office were related to the Indian seditionist movement. Before the outbreak of the war,
Following Bryan's departure, the British secretary of state,
The issue did precipitate a more general Anglo-American neutrality dispute. This was aggravated by belligerent preventive measures taken by the British far-eastern fleet that threatened the sovereignty of American vessels. In particular, HMS Laurentic seized German and Turkish passengers on the American vessel China at the mouth of the
The issue was ultimately addressed by William Wiseman, head of British intelligence in the US, who bypassed diplomatic channels to give details of a bomb plot directly to the New York police. This led to the arrest of Chandra Kanta Chuckrevarty. As links became apparent, within the Chuckrevarty papers and the Igel papers, the investigations by federal authorities ultimately expanded to cover the entire conspiracy. The US agreed to pass on evidence so long as Britain did not seek admission of liability for Breaches of Neutrality. At a time that Diplomatic relations with Germany were deteriorating, the Foreign Office directed the Embassy to cooperate with the investigations. These ultimately resolved the Anglo-American diplomatic disputes just as America entered the war.[19]
Notes
- ^ a b c d "U.S. Customs at Grays Harbor seizes the schooner Annie Larsen loaded with arms and ammunition on June 29, 1915". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ^ a b Plowman 2003, p. 90
- ^ Plowman 2003, p. 85
- ^ a b Hoover 1985, p. 252
- ^ Hoover 1985, p. 253
- ^ a b c d e Brown 1948, p. 303
- ^ Hoover 1985, p. 255
- ^ a b c d e f Hoover 1985, p. 256
- ^ a b c d e Brown 1948, p. 304
- ^ "Echoes of Freedom:South Asian pioneers in California 1899-1965". UC, Berkeley, Bancroft Library. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Popplewell 1995, p. 147
- ^ a b Popplewell 1995, p. 148
- ^ Voska & Irwin 1940, p. 98,108,120,122,123
- ^ Masaryk 1970, p. 50,221,242
- ^ Bose 1971, p. 2332,233
- ^ Fraser 1977, p. 257
- ^ Jensen 1979, p. 65
- ^ Fraser 1977, p. 260
- ^ Dignan 1971
References
- Bose, A.C. (1971), Indian Revolutionaries Abroad, 1905-1927., Patna: Bharati Bhawan, ISBN 81-7211-123-1
- Brown, Giles (August 1948), "The Hindu Conspiracy, 1914-1917", The Pacific Historical Review, 17 (3), University of California Press: 299–310, JSTOR 3634258
- Dignan, Don (February 1971), "The Hindu Conspiracy in Anglo-American Relations during World War I", The Pacific Historical Review, 40 (1), University of California Press: 57–76, JSTOR 3637829
- Fraser, Thomas G (April 1977), "Germany and Indian Revolution, 1914-18", Journal of Contemporary History, 12 (2), Sage Publications: 255–272, S2CID 161813088
- Hoover, Karl (May 1985), "The Hindu Conspiracy in California, 1913-1918", German Studies Review, 8 (2), German Studies Association: 245–261, JSTOR 1428642
- Jensen, Joan M (February 1979), "The "Hindu Conspiracy": A Reassessment", The Pacific Historical Review, 48 (1), University of California Press: 65–83, JSTOR 3638938
- Masaryk, T (1970), Making of a State, Howard Fertig, ISBN 0-685-09575-4
- Plowman, Matthew (2003), "Irish Republicans and the Indo-German Conspiracy of World War I", New Hibernia Review, 7 (3), Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas: 81–105, S2CID 144632198, 1092-3977
- Popplewell, Richard J (1995), Intelligence and Imperial Defence: British Intelligence and the Defence of the Indian Empire 1904-1924, Routledge, ISBN 0-7146-4580-X
- Voska, E.V.; Irwin, W (1940), Spy and Counterspy, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co.
Further reading
- Strother, French (1918). Fighting Germany's spies. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co. p. 226. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
annie larsen.
Includes a detailed account of the Annie Larsen affair by participant J.B. Starr-Hunt