Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones - The Nazi Spy Ring in America: Hitlers Agents, the FBI, and the Case That Stirred the Nation

THE
NAZI
SPY
RING
IN
AMERICA

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Hitlers Agents, the FBI, and the Case That Stirred the Nation

RHODRI JEFFREYS-JONES

2020 Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri, author.

Title: The Nazi spy ring in America : Hitlers agents, the FBI, and the case that stirred the nation / Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones.

Description: Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020008216 | ISBN 9781647120047 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781647120054 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Germany. Wehrmacht. Amt Ausland/AbwehrHistory. | United States. Federal Bureau of InvestigationHistory. | Espionage, GermanUnited StatesHistory20th century. | World War, 1939-1945Secret serviceGermany. | World War, 1939-1945Secret serviceUnited States.

Classification: LCC D810.S7 J395 2021 | DDC 940.54/87430973dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020008216

This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.

21 20 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 First printing

Printed in the United States of America.

Cover design by Faceout Studio, Tim Green.

Interior design by Blue Heron, Paul Hotvedt.

For Alex and Ava,
and in memory of Lily Pincus

Reacting to the carnage of World War I and to the rise of Adolf Hitler, the US Congress passed Neutrality Acts in the years 193537. The nation vowed never again to take sides in a European war. Yet in the year immediately following the final and most draconian of those acts, opinion changed on the subject of neutrality. One reason for the transformation was the exposure in 1938 of a Nazi spy ring operating in the United States. Leon Turrou, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was instrumental in securing that exposure and launched a campaign to warn the American people about the Nazi menace.

The case resulted in increased powers and funds for the FBI. Yet the bureaus director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned against the ace detective who had once been his favorite. Hoover undertook a decades-long campaign to blacklist Turrou and to ensure that he would never become a household name. That is one reason why the story unraveled in this book is unfamiliar and has not been heeded by historians writing about US foreign relations.

The ensuing pages attempt to restore the balance and to tell the full story of German espionage directed against the United States. They identify the master spy with a dueling scar who directed operations against US targets. They unravel some of the cases mysteries: Who was behind the Mata Hari plot to seduce young army officers in Washington, DC? Was anybody innocent in the McAlpin Hotel murder plot? Why did our chief protagonist, Leon Turrou, deny he was Jewish?

The story tells of fast cars, louche liaisons, and a critical tip-off by the British Security Service (MI5). At the same time, it carries a serious message about spies from a totalitarian country who tried to subvert democracy in the United States and, in the end, inflamed public opinion to the detriment of the fascist cause.

In January 2013 under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, I applied to access FBI documents relating to the Nazi espionage case. It was a big ask. The name of one spy whose story I shall tell, Jessie Jordan, appeared on no fewer than 14,500 pages. Jon Russo of the FBI Information Management Division labored over a two-year period to supply me, in a manageable format, with digital copies of the documents I needed. Richard Bareford generously helped me obtain and wade through the FBIs file on Leon Turrou. Still more archival help came from Rod Bailey and Andrew Jeffrey, who shared with me their expertise on MI5 files.

Individuals who encouraged, criticized, or otherwise helped me were Robert Anderson, Doug Charles, Jeremy Crang, Owen Dudley Edwards, John Fox, Fabian Hilfrich, Dolores Janiewski, Andrew Johnstone, Kenny Kevin, Knud Krakau, Marianne Mooijweer, Kathryn Olmsted, David Silkenat, Jill Stephenson, Pat Storey, and Bertrand Vilain.

My diligent research assistant Leonie Werle, a graduate student at the Free University of Berlin and a worker at the German Resistance Memorial Center in the same city, showed initiative. Andrew Lownie showed why he is a top boutique literary agent. At Georgetown University Press, Don Jacobs suggested improvements after reading the book and has been a good shepherd. My wife, Mary, keeps me on an even keel by never reading my books and is a source of joy and support beyond compare.

To all the foregoing, my deepest gratitude.

This book is for my latest grandchildren, toddlers Alex and Ava. May they never witness crimes like those of the 1930s. And it is in memory of my godmother, the late Lily Pincus, who escaped Berlin just in time and who was always a source of wisdom and strength.

The time was midevening, September 27, 1935; the place, Pier 86 on the Hudson River in New York City. The guard wearing US Customs Service badge number 572 was Morris Josephs. His gaze fell upon a familiar scene: passengers, relatives, and friends milled around in an excited throng, anticipating the departure of the North German Lloyd steamship Europa.

Just after 8:30 p.m., Josephs, a keen musician, spied a smooth-faced man in a dark hat carrying on board what appeared to be a violin case. Citizens of that mobster-ridden era knew how Thompson submachine guns fit snugly into such receptacles, and the customs guard stayed alert. After a short while, the smooth-faced man left the ship and walked back down the pier with the object still tucked under his arm. At 8:50 p.m. Josephs arrested him. Upon closer inspection, the parcel, which was not even a violin case, contained neither a gun nor a Stradivarius. It did, however, contain copies of military plans.