The World’s Greatest Military
Spies and Secret Service Agents
The WORLD’S
GREATEST
MILITARY
SPIES and
Secret Service Agents
By GEORGE BARTON
Illustrated
THE PAGE COMPANY
BOSTON * MDCCCCXVIII
Copyright, 1917, by
The Page Company
All rights reserved
First Impression, October, 1917
Second Impression, July, 1918
TO
WILLIAM J. FLYNN
CHIEF OF
THE UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE
WHOSE UNTIRING EFFORTS
RID THIS COUNTRY OF FOREIGN SPIES
DURING THE WORLD’S GREATEST WAR
vii
INTRODUCTION
The romance of war in its most thrilling form isexemplified in this narrative of the adventures of “TheWorld’s Greatest Military Spies and Secret ServiceAgents.” Much has been published upon the subjectof espionage, and the memoirs and secret histories ofthe courts of Europe give us instances of men andwomen who have gained favor and money, if nothonor and glory, by selling back-stairs gossip concerningtheir fellow creatures; but the aim of the presentwork has been rather to relate the big exploits ofthose who faced great personal danger and riskedtheir lives for the sake of flag and country.
Each story is complete in itself, and yet forms alink in the chain of narratives which illustrates thestartling and unexpected manner in which battles havebeen lost and won through the shrewdness and thecourage of military spies at various times in differentcountries of the world. All spies are not admirable.Indeed, some whose deeds are herein related seemdespicable. The use of the word “spy” in this seriesis in its broadest, and usually its best, sense. In allof the great wars of history there have been spies,scouts, emissaries and others still with no very welldefined status, who have rendered invaluable serviceto their governments. A spy is liable to death; aviiiscout, if captured, has the rights of a prisoner of war,but an emissary is rather political than military, and issent to influence secretly the opposition rather than tobring information concerning the movements of troops.
There are spies and spies. Just where the line is tobe drawn must depend largely upon the personal view-pointof the reader. Some of those who have been engagedin hazardous military exploits are looked uponas among the world’s greatest heroes; others who haveabused the hospitality of their entertainers in orderto betray them have earned never-ending obloquy.Everything depends upon the circumstances and thepoint of view. Human nature has been the same in allages. We are disposed to justify and glorify the militaryspy who risks his life for our own country and ourow