Description: My Adventures as a German Secret Service Agent by Captain Horst von der Goltz Formerly Major in the Mexican Constitutionalist Army, sometime Confidential Aide to Captain von Papen, Recalled Military Attaché to the Imperial German Embassy at Washington, German Secret Service Agent This is the 1918 First English Edition (de-accessioned from the Imperial War Museum and in worn condition) Captain von der Goltz was a secret diplomatic agent whose activities on behalf of the German Government began several years before the First World War. His particular areas of operation were Mexico and the USA. Despite the book's title, he maintains he was not a spy nor was he a secret agent; he was a secret diplomatic agent. There was a conspiracy, he reveals, already ongoing during the first month of the war, to violate the neutrality of the U.S.A. and a plot to blow up the Welland Canal in Canada which connected Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. There were also plans to suborn German-American citizens and one of the key players was Captain Franz von Papen. At one time von der Goltz was a Major in the Mexican army, sentenced to death more than once, and in October 1914 he was arrested in England and held in prison for fifteen months, expecting to be shot. In March 1916 he was taken to the U.S.A. where he had agreed to testify for the Government. Front cover and spine Further images of this book are shown below Publisher and place of publication Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch) London: Cassell and Company Limited 5¼ inches wide x 8¼ inches tall Edition Length 1918 First English Edition [xii] + 275 pages Condition of covers Internal condition This volume has been de-accessioned from the Imperial War Museum. Original blue cloth blocked in black, in worn condition. The covers are dull, stained, heavily rubbed and with significant darkening to the cloth resulting in marked variation in colour and some loss of colour around the edges and on the rear cover. The spine has darkened considerably with age, and is very discoloured and dull. The spine ends and corners are bumped and frayed, with splits in the cloth. There are a number of indentations along the edges of the boards and there is a pronounced forward spine lean. This volume has been de-accessioned from the Imperial War Museum, with a "Withdrawn from Stock" ink stamp on both the front free end-paper and Title-Page. The rear inner hinge is badly cracked and the end-papers are very browned and discoloured (please see the final image below). There are further Imperial War Museum stamps in the text and on the Title-Page. The paper has tanned significantly with age and there is extensive, heavy, foxing throughout. The illustrations have acquired a yellowish tinge. Some pages are slightly torn on the top edge. The edge of the text block is very grubby, dust-stained and heavily foxed, with the foxing extending into the margins. There is an Imperial War Museum stamp on the underside edge of the text block. Dust-jacket present? Other comments No A collated and complete example of the First English Edition, which has has been de-accessioned from the Imperial War Museum, but is in worn condition overall, with bumped, frayed and badly discoloured covers, and, internally, extensive heavy foxing on significantly tanned paper. Illustrations, maps, etc Contents Please see below for details Please see below for details Post & shipping information Payment options The packed weight is approximately 700 grams. Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. Payment options : UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. My Adventures as a German Secret Service Agent Contents 1. A MOMENTOUS DOCUMENT I find an old letter containing a strange bit of scandal Its contents draw me into the service of the Kaiser. 2. DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND I impersonate a Russian Prince and steal a Treaty What the Treaty contained and how Germany made use of the knowledge. 3. A BOTANIST IN THE ARGONNE Of what comes of leaving important papers exposed I look and talk indiscreetly, and a man dies. 4. " CHERCHEZ LA FEMME ! " I am sent to Geneva and learn of a plot How there are more ways of getting rid of a King than by blowing him up with dynamite. 5. THE STRONG ARM SQUAD Germany displays an interest in Mexico, and aids the United States for her own purposes The Japanese- Mexican Treaty and its share in the downfall of Diaz. 6. A HERO IN SPITE OF MYSELF My letter again I go to America and become a United States soldier Sent to Mexico and sentenced to death there I join Villa's army and gain an un- deserved reputation. 7. ENTER CAPTAIN VON PAPEN War I re-enter the German service and am appointed aide to Captain von Papen The German conception of neutrality and how to make use of it The plot against the Welland Canal. 8. MY INTERVIEW WITH THE KAISER I go to Germany on a false passport Italy in the early days of the war I meet the Kaiser and talk to him about Mexico and the United States. 9. MY ARREST AND CONFESSION In England, and how I reached there I am arrested and imprisoned for fifteen months What von Papen's baggage contained I make a sworn statement. 10. GERMANY'S HATE CAMPAIGN IN AMERICA The German intrigue against the United States Von Papen, Boy-Ed and von Rintelen, and the work they did How the German-Americans were used and how they were betrayed. 11. MISCHIEF IN MEXICO More about the German intrigue against the United States German aims in Latin America Japan and Germany in Mexico What happened in Cuba ? 12. THE COMPLETE SPY The last stand of German intrigue Germany's spy system in America What is coming ? List of Illustrations Captain Von Der Goltz . . . Frontispiece Group of Soldiers of the Mexican Constitutionalist Army Telegram From Gen. Villa to Capt. Von Der Goltz Group of United States Recruits in Villa's Army Raul Madero And His Staff Report of Koglmeier's Murder From The El Paso Herald Gen. Villa and Col. Trinidad Rodriguez Gen. Raul Madero Capt. Von Der Goltz'S Commission As Major in the Mexican Constitutionalist Army Six Months' Leave From Gen. Raul Madero to Capt. Von Der Goltz Gen. Raul Madero's Letter of Recommendation Dr. Kraske'S Letter to " Baron " Von Der Goltz Capt. Von Papen's Letter to the German Consuls at Baltimore and St. Paul Bills From the Du Pont De Nemours Powder Company For " Merchandise " Delivered To " Bridgeman Taylor " And Charged to Capt. Tauscher Capt. Tauscher's Order For " Explosives " His Account to Capt. Von Papen For " Merchandise " Passport On Which Capt. Von Der Goltz Went To Germany And England Safe-Deposit Receipt For Papers Which Capt. Von Der Goltz Left In Rotterdam The Order for the Deportation Of Capt. Von Der Goltz from the United Kingdom The Cheque Which Almost Cost Capt. Von Der Goltz His Life My Adventures as a German Secret Service Agent Foreword I HAVE not striven to write an autobiography. This book is merely a summary a sort of galloping summary of the last ten years of my existence. As such, I venture to write it because my life has been bound up in enterprises in which the world is interested. It has been my fortune to be a witness and sometimes an actor in that drama of secret diplomacy which has been going on for so long and which in such a large way has been responsible for this World War. There are many scenes in that drama which have no place in this book many events with which I am familiar that I have not touched upon. My aim has been to describe only those things with which I was personally concerned and which I know to be true. For a full history of the last ten years my readers must go elsewhere; but it is my hope that these adventures of mine will bring them to a better understanding of the forces that have for so long been undermining the peace of the world. Inevitably there will be some who read this book who will doubt the truth of many of the statements in it. I cannot, unfortunately, prove all that I tell here. Wherever possible I have offered corroborative evidence of the truth of my statements ; at other times I have tried to indicate their credibility by citing well recognised facts which have a direct bearing upon my contentions. But for the rest, I can only hope that this book will be accepted as a true record of facts which by their very nature are insusceptible of proof. So far as my connection with the German Government is concerned, I may refer the curious to the British Parliamentary White Papers, Miscellaneous, Nos. 6 and 13, which contain respectively my confession and a record of the papers found in the possession of Captain von Papen, former Military Attaché to the German Embassy at Washington, and seized by the British authorities on January 2 and 8, 1916. There are also, in addition to the documents reproduced in this book, various court records of the trial of Captain Hans Tauscher and others in the spring of the same year. To German activities in the United States, the newspapers bear eloquent testimony. I have been concerned rather with the motives of the German Government than with a statement of what has been done. These motives, I believe, you will not doubt. But there is one point which I must ask my readers not to overlook. I have told that I became a secret agent through the discovery of a certain letter which contained very serious reflections upon one of the most important personages in the world. I have told, also, how the possession of that letter had an important bearing upon the course of my life how it led me to America, and how in the struggle for its possession I very nearly lost my life. This, I know, will be severely questioned by many. Before rejecting this part of my story, I ask merely that you consider the fate that overtook Koglmeier, the saddler of El Paso, whose only crime was that he had been partially in my confidence. I ask you to recall that another German, Lesser, who had been associated with me at the same time, mysteriously disappeared in 1915, shortly before von Papen left for Europe. No one has been able to prove why these men were treated as they were. And if I did not have in my pos- session something which the German Government regarded as highly important, why the surprising actions of that Government, actions none the less astonishing because they are well known and authenticated? Consider these things before you doubt. Finally, let me say that I have taken the liberty of changing or omitting the names of various people who are mentioned in these adventures, merely because I have had no wish to compromise them by disclosing their identity. NEW YORK, July 8, 1917. Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour. In line with eBay guidelines on picture sizes, some of the illustrations may be shown enlarged for greater detail and clarity. This volume has been de-accessioned from the Imperial War Museum, with a "Withdrawn from Stock" ink stamp on both the front free end-paper and Title-Page. The end-papers are very browned and discoloured. U.K. buyers: To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the postage figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from postage and packaging. Postage can be combined for multiple purchases. Packed weight of this item : approximately 700 grams Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses: Details of the various postage options can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above). Payment can be made by: debit card, credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex), cheque (payable to "G Miller", please), or PayPal. 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Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the listing (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you. (please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this listing) Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height. Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth. Fine Books for Fine Minds I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover. The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. However, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee delivery. If any book is lost or damaged in transit, I will offer a full refund. Thank you for looking. Please also view my other listings for a range of interesting books and feel free to contact me if you require any additional information Design and content © Geoffrey Miller
Price: 29.99 GBP
Location: Flamborough, Bridlington
End Time: 2025-01-26T17:18:29.000Z
Shipping Cost: 25.34 GBP
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Item Specifics
Return postage will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
After receiving the item, your buyer should cancel the purchase within: 30 days
Return policy details: If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund, including return postage. All books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard container.
Binding: Hardback
Place of Publication: London
Non-Fiction Subject: History & Military
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition, Ex-Library, Illustrated
Author: Captain Horst von der Goltz
Publisher: Cassell and Company
Year Printed: 1918
