Jules C. Silber

Jules C. Silber was a german spy operating with the postal censure with the the United Kingdom, during the First World War.

Biography

While being based on the autobiographical account of Silber published in 1932 in Germany, Ronald Seth wrote, under the title of The Spy Who Wasn't Caught , a work astounding reporting the exploits of this fabulous Master of forgotten espionage owing to the fact that it was probably most intelligent of all. Information of this article comes from the French version of this book published in 1968 pennies the title of "the Most English of the German spies" .

{ [quote|The chief of the secret service of the ministry for information, the Major General Lord Edward Gleichen, had to recognize that, although the personal file of Silber had been destroyed before, there had been well, indeed, in manpower of the Censure and at the above mentioned dates, certain Silber which had reached the rank of assistant critic; the majority of his/her colleagues surviving remembered it besides with sympathy and much admiration for the way in which it had fulfilled its role.|Ronald Seth|the Most English of the German spies , p.11

In 1968, one always knew nothing the parents of Silber, just like his date and birthplace. He probably was born around 1870, because with the conscription of 1915 in the United Kingdom, he declared “to have exceeded about thirty”. Teenager, he Germany for South Africa where he learned English, the Afrikaans, and even the Zulu language.

During the Second Anglo-Boer War, the British used its services as interprets and agent of the censure. 1.500 prisoners of war were sent to Ceylon and in India, Silber accompanied them as an agent by the censure for 18 months. It was affected in the city-garrison of Abbottabad, not far from the Afghan border. Following the Treaty of Vereeniging, the repatriation of the prisoners, now free, began and Silber returned for 2 years in South Africa.

Emigrated in United States, Silber lived a few years there when, with its qualifications, it did not have probably a sorrow to be an employment. In 1914, the war declared between the United Kingdom and Germany awoke its Patriotisme. Thinking of the best way of helping its native land, he decided to join the United Kingdom, where it would offer its services to the postal office of the censure. At this place, he could undoubtedly obtain information of most useful for the German effort of war. With New York, it accepted an address of letter-box of the hands of the German ambassador.

Not holding a Passport to go to London, he had to pass by the Canada, where safety was less imposing, because the population was considered British citizen. Provided with document official British relative to his service in South Africa and India, from which none mentioned its German nationality, but bearing are true name, it spent some time to Montreal with an aim of being made pass for a French Canadian to the eyes of the British.

Embarked on September 19th, 1914, it arrived 10 days later without passport and had to undergo a interrogation tightened with the port of Manchester. Authorized to foot the British ground, it even joined London the evening.

It, to some extent, had already carried out an exploit, because he was a German having succeeded in going by his own means in the middle of the British kingdom in war. But most difficult was to gain the confidence of the authorities, that with an aim of obtaining information useful for the German Stratège S.

The warting the investigations of MI5, he obtained an employ at the office of the censure, after an interview with an old man Colonel having already been used for the Punjab region. They were discovered several common relations and Silber began its work of critic then on October 12th, 1914.

Using mailed window envelopes, therefore stamped, it forwarded to Germany Microfilm or letters abounding in increasingly important information, because it was regularly promoted. It culminated in the hierarchy while becoming chief censor, which enabled him to analyze all the suspect documents handed by his employee.

Once the war finished, Silber had to wait until 1925 so that the restrictions concerning the continental voyages are reduced to be able to return to his home country.

It finished its days in Germany after having written an autobiographical account in 1932.

ources

* Jules C. Silber, "The Invisible Weapons", Hutchinson, 1932, Londres, D639S8S5.
* Jules C. Silber, "Die Anderen Waffen : Mit Zwei Faksimilies", Korn, Breslau, Germany, 1932. D639S8S48
* Jules C. Silber, "Les Armes invisibles. souvenirs d'un espion allemand au war office de 1914 a 1919", Payot, Paris, 1933, In-8 broché de 219 pages non coupées + documents. Préface du brigadier Général R. F. Edwards. Collection de mémoires, études et documents pour servir à l'histoire de la guerre mondiale.
* Colonel Walther Nicolai, "Der Deutsches Nachrichtendienst"
* Lieutenant Général Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, "Die Weltkriegespionage"