There have been two kinds of German propaganda. One, devoted to setting before the American people Germany’s side of the war, may be classed as legitimate. The other has been illegal and criminal. While both are set forth in this narrative, the greater space has been devoted to illegal activities.

The author claims for this book no other distinction than a plain unvarnished statement of facts—vital, dramatic, absorbing facts of the manner in which secret agents of the Teutonic governments, acting under orders of authorized directors, have attacked the very integrity of our national life, commercial, social and politic. It contains facts arranged from an American viewpoint by an American who considers it his duty to present them to his fellow Americans.

These facts were obtained by the writer as a reporter on the New York Sun who devoted a year to no other work. They were derived by a painstaking investigation and where flat statements are made they are based on knowledge obtained by the author from various authorities and from the examination of documents some of which have never been published. They show how German agents sought to subvert the aims of our government to the advantage of the Central Powers. They furnish a glimpse of the manner in which these men and women sought to make America the hinterland for the European War; how they planned and executed bribery, arson, felonious assaults; how they plotted destruction of property and even murder on American territory.

These facts emphasize the need of a new kind of preparedness. They prove that not only does the nation need preparedness in arms on both land and sea against a foreign foe but also defence against those within our bounds, who are eager to betray us. No true American, whether he be pro-Ally, pro-German, or strictly neutral, can read this book without realizing the thoroughness and the perfection of the German espionage system and being convinced of the way in which Germany’s spies have overrun the entire country, nor can anyone doubt the necessity for preparedness to cope with these men and this system in a different guise in the event of still graver issues.