William G. Sebold
Encyclopedia
William G. Sebold born Wilhelm Georg Debrowski in Mülheim
, Germany
, was a German
spy
in the United States
during World War II
, who became a double agent
for the FBI
.
. After leaving Germany in 1921, he worked in industrial and aircraft plants throughout the United States and South America
. On 10 February 1936, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
He returned to Germany in February 1939 to visit his mother in Mülheim. Upon his arrival in Hamburg, Germany
, he was approached by a Gestapo
agent who said that Sebold would be contacted in the near future. Sebold proceeded to Mülheim where he obtained employment.
), Sebold agreed to spy for Germany, being blackmailed with information that he had omitted spending some time in a German jail when applying for American citizenship. Ritter was the Abwehr officer in charge of espionage against the United States and Britain. Sebold received final instructions from Ritter, including the use of codes and microphotographs. Sebold was then assigned the alias "Harry Sawyer", the code name TRAMP, and Abwehr number A.3549.
Before leaving Germany, Sebold went to the U.S. Consulate in Cologne, Germany
. He told the consular officials about his future role as a German spy. He also expressed his wish to cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States. The U.S. government agreed.
Sebold sailed from Genoa, Italy
, and arrived in New York City
on 8 February 1940. There, Sebold (with secret help from the FBI) set himself up as a consulting engineer, with an office on 42nd Street in Manhattan
. The FBI, forewarned of Sebold's arrival, set up Sebold's office so that they could record all conversations there, and even observe and film any meetings taking place (via a one-way mirror).
spy in the Second Boer War
.
At their first meeting, Duquesne, who was extremely worried about bugs and microphones in Sebold's office, gave Sebold a note suggesting that they should talk elsewhere. After relocating to an Automat
, the two men exchanged information about members of the German espionage system with whom they had been in contact.
In May 1940, FBI agents on Long Island set up a shortwave
radio station, and established contact with the Abwehr's radio station in Germany, posing as part of Sebold's spy ring. For 16 months this radio station was a main channel of communication between German spies in New York City and the Abwehr. During this time, the FBI's radio station transmitted over 300 messages to Germany, and received 200 messages from Germany. Through Sebold, the U.S. identified dozens of German agents in the United States, Mexico
and South America.
In June 1941, all of Sebold's activities were stopped when the FBI arrested 33 German agents detected as a result of his activities. Of those arrested on the charge of espionage, 19 pleaded guilty. The 14 men who pled not guilty were tried in Federal District Court, Brooklyn, New York
, on 3 September 1941; and they were all found guilty by the jury on 13 December 1941. The thirty-three members of the Duquesne Spy Ring were sentenced to serve a total of over 300 years in prison. Duquesne himself was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The Duquesne Spy Ring remains the largest espionage
case in U.S. history that ended in convictions.
Sebold's success as a counterespionage agent is demonstrated by the successful prosecution of these 33 German agents. However, once the trial ended, Sebold disappeared. He is said to have entered a government witness protection program and assumed another identity.
One of the earliest books to detail Sebold's career as a double agent was Alan Hynd's 1943 Passport to Treason: The Inside Story of Spies in America.
Mülheim
Mülheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, who became a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
for the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
.
Early life
Sebold served in the German army during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After leaving Germany in 1921, he worked in industrial and aircraft plants throughout the United States and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. On 10 February 1936, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
He returned to Germany in February 1939 to visit his mother in Mülheim. Upon his arrival in Hamburg, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he was approached by a Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
agent who said that Sebold would be contacted in the near future. Sebold proceeded to Mülheim where he obtained employment.
Espionage
In September 1939, a Dr. Gassner visited Sebold in Mülheim and interrogated him regarding military planes and equipment in the United States. He also asked Sebold to return to the United States as an espionage agent for Germany. After additional visits by Dr. Gassner and a "Dr. Renken" (later identified as Major Nickolaus Ritter of the AbwehrAbwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
), Sebold agreed to spy for Germany, being blackmailed with information that he had omitted spending some time in a German jail when applying for American citizenship. Ritter was the Abwehr officer in charge of espionage against the United States and Britain. Sebold received final instructions from Ritter, including the use of codes and microphotographs. Sebold was then assigned the alias "Harry Sawyer", the code name TRAMP, and Abwehr number A.3549.
Before leaving Germany, Sebold went to the U.S. Consulate in Cologne, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He told the consular officials about his future role as a German spy. He also expressed his wish to cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States. The U.S. government agreed.
Sebold sailed from Genoa, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and arrived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 8 February 1940. There, Sebold (with secret help from the FBI) set himself up as a consulting engineer, with an office on 42nd Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The FBI, forewarned of Sebold's arrival, set up Sebold's office so that they could record all conversations there, and even observe and film any meetings taking place (via a one-way mirror).
Duquesne Spy Ring
Sebold was instructed by the Abwehr to contact Fritz Joubert Duquesne, code-named DUNN, a German spy in New York. Duquesne had been a spy for Germany since World War I; before that, he had been a BoerBoer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
spy in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
At their first meeting, Duquesne, who was extremely worried about bugs and microphones in Sebold's office, gave Sebold a note suggesting that they should talk elsewhere. After relocating to an Automat
Automat
An automat is a fast food restaurant where simple foods and drink are served by coin-operated and bill-operated vending machines.-Concept:Originally, the machines took only nickels...
, the two men exchanged information about members of the German espionage system with whom they had been in contact.
In May 1940, FBI agents on Long Island set up a shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
radio station, and established contact with the Abwehr's radio station in Germany, posing as part of Sebold's spy ring. For 16 months this radio station was a main channel of communication between German spies in New York City and the Abwehr. During this time, the FBI's radio station transmitted over 300 messages to Germany, and received 200 messages from Germany. Through Sebold, the U.S. identified dozens of German agents in the United States, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and South America.
In June 1941, all of Sebold's activities were stopped when the FBI arrested 33 German agents detected as a result of his activities. Of those arrested on the charge of espionage, 19 pleaded guilty. The 14 men who pled not guilty were tried in Federal District Court, Brooklyn, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on 3 September 1941; and they were all found guilty by the jury on 13 December 1941. The thirty-three members of the Duquesne Spy Ring were sentenced to serve a total of over 300 years in prison. Duquesne himself was sentenced to 18 years in prison. The Duquesne Spy Ring remains the largest espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
case in U.S. history that ended in convictions.
Sebold's success as a counterespionage agent is demonstrated by the successful prosecution of these 33 German agents. However, once the trial ended, Sebold disappeared. He is said to have entered a government witness protection program and assumed another identity.
One of the earliest books to detail Sebold's career as a double agent was Alan Hynd's 1943 Passport to Treason: The Inside Story of Spies in America.