THE OFFICIAL GERMAN PLOTTERS AT WASHINGTON
Above, Ambassador Count Johann von Bernstorff; left, Capt. Franz von Papen, Military Attaché; right, Capt. Karl Boy-Ed, Naval Attaché
VON PAPEN BECOMES ACCESSORY TO A CRIME
Though this check was made out in favor of G. Amsinck & Co., the German-American bankers of New York, the counterfoil bears the notation “Traveling expense v W,” that is, “von Wedell.” This check was sent him by Von Papen to enable him to escape after he had forged signatures to two fraudulent passports and realized that he was under surveillance—Von Papen thus becoming accessory after the fact to a crime against American laws
Two most important facts emerged ultimately from a study of this innocent bit of paper. When Ruroede was arrested, among other papers taken from his desk by the officers of the law were numerous typewritten sheets containing lists of names of German officers, their rank, and other facts about them. Ruroede never would admit that these were from Von Papen, but that admission was made for him by a far more trustworthy testimony than his own. This testimony was an expert comparison, under a powerful magnifying glass of the typewriting on these sheets and the typewriting on the Von Knorr memorandum which had undoubtedly come from Von Papen. They were beyond all questioning identical. The same typewriter had written all. By this little microscopic test Von Papen and the other ruthless underlings of Germany were first brought tangibly within sight of their ultimate expulsion from this country, for crimes of which the passport frauds were the least odious.
TWO OF RUROEDE’S VISITORS’ CREDENTIALS