The Birth of the Witzke Plot
Lothar Witzke was the most successful German agent in the United States during World War I, extract from Agent of the Iron Cross by Bill Mills
On January 14, Kurt Jahnke’s train pulled into the station at Mexico City where Dr. Paul Bernardo Altendorf and Lothar Witzke stood waiting. The spymaster exited the coach incongruously holding a single orchid for a lady friend. He told them that during the journey from Veracruz, rebels had fired on the train and several of the escort had been wounded; he distributed four hundred pesos among the injured Mexican soldiers “to display the sympathy of the Germans.” Jahnke’s residence was located nearby, and the two agents accompanied him to his home. They were followed by Karl Gobel who carried two heavy leather bags that contained secret documents and a small fortune in currency, partly in gold coin, for financing intelligence operations.
Jahnke was in high spirits, and over a hearty breakfast he briefed them on their assignment.
“Well Witzke,” he began, “you and the doctor will leave for the border on the 16th. I have received everything I wanted. I have the plans for the invasion of the United States all complete from Berlin with the funds to finance the preliminaries.”
In the discussion that followed, Jahnke revealed details about the coming operation. Witzke was going to enter the United States on a mission that would be the prelude for a German-Mexican invasion of the United States by a combined force of forty-five thousand men, coincident with the German spring offensive in Europe. The young agent was to instigate an insurrection by disaffected blacks in the American South, “who were to massacre the white population,” and arrange for the destruction of munitions plants, food stores, “and whatever else was useful to America and her allies, doing what he could personally and the rest through I.W.W agents.” Lastly, Witzke was tasked with the assassination of an American intelligence officer in Arizona who had been interfering with German secret service operations in the United States and Mexico.
Jahnke informed them that the invasion plan had been developed by the German General Staff as a means to keep U.S. troops at home defending the southern border. Even if it achieved only partial success, the consequences would be significant, as shown by the American reaction to Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico, two years before.
In his euphoria over the coming operation, Jahnke harshly criticized the diplomats who had supervised previous actions in the United States. With a golden sneer, he characterized Ambassador von Bernstorff as “das groesterindsfich [a big ass] throwing away money on everyone who came to him with a plausible scheme. He blamed von Bernstorff for allowing the United States to enter the war and said that disaster could have been avoided if Germany had played good politics.”
Germany was lucky to have a man like von Eckhardt, who gained friends readily and was someone that people could work with.
In his unusual manner of speaking, Jahnke closed his eyes and resumed the briefing. “Doctor, listen very carefully to what I have to say. You will accompany Witzke to Hermosillo where you will introduce him to General Calles and tell him that Witzke is travelling on a Russian passport into the United States, but that he is a German agent. Rademacher, our consul in Guaymas, will know all about this and will have informed General Calles before you get to Hermosillo. You will go and see Carranza tomorrow. Carranza will also advise General Calles fully. Everything has been arranged by Herr von Eckhardt. When you have explained everything to Calles after introducing Witzke I want you to ask Calles to procure a revolver for Witzke. Never mind what it costs. We will pay whatever price is necessary.”
At that time, firearms were unobtainable in Mexico City. Assaults and robberies had become such an everyday occurrence that anyone who could buy a pistol carried one for personal protection, and as a result, the shelves were empty in the city’s gun shops.
“Why do you want to send me into the United States with a pistol?” asked Witzke. “I have done very important work without carrying a pistol.”
The spymaster opened his eyes and looked at the agent.
“They may know you this time,” Jahnke replied, “and you must be very careful. Besides you will carry important papers, such as you have never carried before. And you must do away with that special agent Butcher at Nogales. You will have to kill him first. He’s in our way.
“There are two very important papers that will be in your possession,” he continued, displaying the documents. “One is a message from von Eckhardt in the German imperial code to be presented to German consuls when asking for money or assistance. The other is a code which you will use in giving information about the progress of operations in the coming drive. No son-of-a-bitch of an American is to get hold of this code. You know what to do. It’s the reason I am giving you a pistol.”
“Nothing will happen to the codes,” Witzke responded. “Nobody can get me as long as I have a gun in my hand.”
The spymaster nodded. “You will send your messages to the doctor and he will forward your communications to me. If everything works out right I shall come with someone else. The first thing for you to do is see the IWW delegates on the border and let the third party who is going with you operate with his own class of people. Give him all the money he wants. He is all right.”
Jahnke rose from the table and departed for a conference with von Eckhardt.
The look of resignation on Witzke’s face left no doubt that the fate of a special agent named Butcher was now a dead certainty.
This excerpt is from Agent of the Iron Cross: The Race to Capture German Saboteur-Assassin Lothar Witzke during World War I by Bill Mills, published by Rowman & Littlefield, October 2023. Used with permission of the author.
