Germany recalls Boy-Ed and Papen

On 10 December 1915 the German ambassador in Washington, Count Johann Heinrich von Bernstorff, informed Secretary of State Robert Lansing that Kaiser Wilhelm II had recalled the embassy’s naval attaché, Karl Boy-Ed, and its military attaché, Captain Franz von Papen. So ended a dispute that had lasted ten days. The United States government had demanded the recall of both officers, because it linked them to the illegal activities of German agents in America.

Berlin wants to know the reasons

The Germans did not give way at once. On Sunday 5 December Bernstorff passed on instructions from Berlin to Lansing by letter. The German government resented the fact that the Americans had made their demand public before Germany could say anything, which it regarded as a breach of the customs observed between friendly states. Before replying, it wanted to know what facts had led Washington to take this step.

Lansing replied the same day. He did not apologise for publishing the demand, because in his view the US government had done nothing improper. He pointed out that it is the receiving state, not the sending state, that judges whether a member of a foreign mission is acceptable to it, and that it does not matter whether the reason is legal proof, presumption or mere suspicion. However, so that Berlin could itself investigate its officers’ conduct, he named several persons who had broken the law and with whom the attachés had been connected: von Wedell, Ruroede, Rintelen, Stegler, Buenz, Archibald and Marcus Braun. Among them were men involved in obtaining false American passports for German reservists, the head of the New York office of the HAPAG shipping line, just convicted of supplying German warships, and an American journalist who in the summer had carried the mail of the Central Powers’ embassies. Lansing did not want to disclose further facts, as further investigations were under way.

The recall

The days went by with no answer. On 10 December Lansing sent Bernstorff a firm letter. He pointed out that ten days had passed since his demand and warned that if Berlin did not comply with it without delay, the US government would be compelled to act without waiting for the attachés to be recalled. The same day Bernstorff sent an official note. In it he stated that the Kaiser had “most graciously deigned to recall” both officers, and asked the State Department to obtain safe conducts for them and their two servants from the states at war with Germany. He also wished to ensure safe passage for their successors, should the Kaiser appoint any.

Lansing passed this request on to the Allies the very next day. On 15 December the British and French ambassadors agreed to issue safe conducts on condition that the attachés sailed to Germany by the southern route via the Netherlands and carried no documents for their government. Papen sailed from New York just before Christmas on the Dutch ship Noordam, and Boy-Ed at the end of December or the beginning of January on the Rotterdam. The sources differ here by a few days. Despite the safe conduct, the British searched Papen’s luggage at Falmouth at the beginning of January 1916. The papers found there, including cheque stubs with the names of men he had paid, were later used for further prosecutions in America.