Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

- 274 -
In reality, preventing intelligence agents from operating in the Netherlands, let
alone catching them, was extremely difficult. 110 Nevertheless, the Dutch military
intelligence network grew during the war and did its best to prevent espionage and, if that
proved too difficult, to spy on the spies, by listening in to the telephone conversations of
foreign diplomats, III as well as intercepting their telegraph communications. GS III officers
tracked suspected spies, leaming a vast deal about the warring parties in the process, while
GS IV officers decoded British and German telegraph messages. 112 They also tried to stop
Dutch citizens selling information to the belligerents. I 13
The belligerents made ample use of the Netherlands' convenient geographic
position to obtain information about their enemies. According to one prolific rumour, every
cafe waiter in The Hague was an undercover agent for the Kaiser. 114 From interviewing
deserters, GS III knew that British and French agents infiltrated camps of German deserters
to obtain information from them. I IS The Allies also noted the movement of German trains
through and near the Netherlands and acquired technical details of intemed German
equipment. 116 A most impOliant source of infonnation for the Allies came via couriers, who
smuggled information, letters and people in and out of occupied Belgium. A number of
towns on the Belgian side of the border operated as espionage posts for the Allies. I 17
It is quite possible that the use of the Netherlands for intelligence purposes helped
persuade both belligerents that its neutrality was important for them. liS Diana Sanders
suggested that
110 For counter-espionage undertaken by the Dutch Army and Navy, see: ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Star'
entry no. 2.13.70, inventory no. 202; ARA, "Archiefvan de Chef van de Marinestafte 's-Gravenhage 1886 - 1942"
entry number 2.12.18, inventory number 184.
I I I Commander-in-Chiefto Minister President, 18 October 1914, in ARA, "Archieven van de Generale Star' entry
no. 2.l3.70, inventory no. 1.
112 Dutch diplomat in Brussels to Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, 30 October 1916, in ARA, "Kabinetsarchief e. a.
van het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken 1871 - 1940" entry no. 2.05.18, inventory no. 239; Engelen, De Militaire
Inlichtingen Dienst p. 28; Tuyll, The Netherlands and World War J p. 164.
113 Ritter, De Donkere Poort Volume 2, pp. 212 - 214.
114 Duncan Grinnell-Milne, An Escaper's Log. London: John Lane the Bodley Head, 1926, p. 302; Bosboom, In
Moeilijke Omstandigheden p. 288.
115 Engelen, De Militaire Inlichtingen Dienst pp. 24, 27.
116 Sanders, "The Netherlands in British Strategic Planning" p. 119.
117 Alex Vanneste has written an extremely valuable account of Belgianpasseurs (smugglers) who smuggled
information and people across the Dutch border and back again (Vanneste, Kroniek van een Dorp in Oorlog Two
volumes).
118 Smit, Tien studien p. 11.