Horst von der Goltz
Horst von der Goltz | |
---|---|
Born | Franz Wachendorf 1884 |
Died | USA |
Nationality | German |
Occupation | German counterintelligence agent |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | Germany |
Codename | Bridgeman W. Taylor |
Horst von der Goltz (born Franz Wachendorf in 1884 in
Life
At the age of 16, Wachendorf was deported from Brussels back to the German Empire. In 1911, apparently under the direction of the German intelligence service, he stole a draft of a confidential agreement between Mexico and Japan. This draft was leaked to the US, resulting in two-thirds of the U.S. Army converging on the southern border with Mexico.[3] In 1912, Wachendorf moved to the US for the first time and served briefly in the United States Army.[1]
Wachendorf also served in
Attack on the Welland Canal
Papen and Goltz agreed that the Welland Canal, which connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, should be blown up because it was used to transport arms for the Entente.[1] Papen gave Goltz $500 and a recommendation for Consul Carl A. Luederitz in Baltimore, who awarded him a passport in the name of Bridgeman W. Taylor.[1] The Krupp representative in New York, Hans Tauscher, ordered—under the pretext of blowing up tree stumps on a farm—the dynamite for the attack from the DuPont Powder Company. Goltz had already hired some of his self-conspirators in Buffalo, New York, near the Canada–US border, when Papen stopped the attack on the Welland Canal. The saboteurs were forced to give up their plan due to strong Canadian efforts to protect the canal.[1][6][7] According to contemporary reports, Goltz was recalled to Germany, as the U.S. passport he applied for on August 29, 1914, under his pseudonym Taylor, shows he used it on October 2, 1914. Using an Italian visa, he sailed on the SS Duca d'Aosta to Genoa and traveled on to Berlin, arriving three weeks after departure. Luederitz was later indicted for passport fraud for helping Goltz.[5][8] Tauscher was acquitted of his part in the plan in June 1916.[9]
Great Britain
On November 4, 1914 while working for the
When the U.S. government made German
United States
Goltz's journey with Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Harold Brust was supposed to remain secret, but during the trip he was extensively interviewed by the chief reporter of The New York Times and his story had already been reported before he arrived. The publicity forced the British Admiralty to make Goltz's statement available.[8][11] As a key witness in the court proceedings, Goltz added to the perception of the Germans as "Dynamiters" in America and he heavily damaged the defense of the people involved. Hans Tauscher and Papen's representative Wolf von Igel were arrested, and diplomats Karl Boy-Ed and Consul Carl Lüderitz were accused of espionage, sabotage and passport offences. Tauscher was acquitted.[1] For his service, Goltz was interned at Ellis Island instead of facing a British firing squad.[12] Goltz was later granted asylum.[1]
Goltz published a book in 1917. In 1918, he appeared in the Committee on Public Information propaganda film, The Prussian Cur (referring to Kaiser Wilhelm II). He played himself in the starring role.[1][2][4]
Published works
- Horst von der Goltz: Sworn statement by Horst von der Goltz, alias Bridgeman Taylor. H.M. Stationery Office. London. 1916. ASIN B000IU1VEQ.
- Horst von der Goltz: My Adventures as a German Secret Agent. Whitefish, Montana. Kessinger Publishing Co. 2005. ISBN 978-1-4400-9240-4.
- von der Goltz, Horst (1992). True Stories Of The Great War: My Ten Years Of Intrigue In The Kaiser's Secret Service. Translated by Grace E. Bevir. History of the World.
- Fox Film Company. USA 1918. Drehbuch/Regie: Raoul Walsh, Goltz plays himself
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Adams 2009, pp. 144–145.
- ^ a b von der Goltz 1918.
- ^ Tuchman 1985, pp. 34–38.
- ^ a b von der Goltz 1992.
- ^ a b The New York Times & April 4, 1916.
- ^ National Counterintelligence Center, Chapter 3.
- ^ Mount 1993, pp. 31–33.
- ^ a b The New York Times & May 9, 1916.
- ^ "Plots in Canada". The Argus. Melbourne. 3 July 1916. p. 8. Retrieved 29 November 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b The New York Times & March 29, 1916.
- ^ a b The New York Times & March 30, 1916.
- ^ Boghardt 2004.
Bibliography
- Adams, Jefferson (2009). Historical Dictionary of German Intelligence. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5543-4.
- Boghardt, Thomas (2004). Spies of the Kaiser. Oxford: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-3248-8.
- "3". Imperial Germany's Sabotage Operations In The U.S. National Counterintelligence Center, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- "Von Papen's Aid Here To Confess" (PDF). The New York Times. March 29, 1916. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- Mount, Graeme (1993). Canada's Enemies: Spies and Spying in the Peaceable Kingdom. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55002-190-5.
- "Rintelen Wants To Testify Here" (PDF). The New York Times. March 30, 1916. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- "Von Der Goltz Got Aid From Von Papen" (PDF). The New York Times. April 4, 1916. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- "Consul is Indicted in Passport Fraud" (PDF). The New York Times. May 9, 1916. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-345-32425-2.
- von der Goltz, Horst (1918). "My adventures as a German Secret Service Agent". Archive.org. Castle and Company. Retrieved April 28, 2012. (Text version)
- von der Goltz, Horst (1992). True Stories Of The Great War: My Ten Years Of Intrigue In The Kaiser's Secret Service. Translated by Grace E. Bevir. History of the World.