Spies and Saboteurs in New York During Wartime

Spies and Saboteurs in New York During Wartime

On this week's show we will explore the history of the "enemies within", spies and saboteurs in New York City who were in the service of the country's enemies, or soon-to-be-enemies during wartime. My guests will be author Kevin Fitzpatrick,

https://fitzpatrickauthor.com/; and tour director Bob Brenner, Founder of Pig Feet Walking Tours,

https://www.pigfeetwalkingtours.com/.

 Tune in for this fascinating conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.

Segment 1

Tonight’s show topic is all about spies and saboteurs in New York during times of war. The special guests are author Kevin Fitzpatrick along with tour director and Founder of Pig Feet Walking Tours, Bob Brenner. Kevin has ties to the Marine Corps and is very proud of his Irish heritage. In 1864, a group of saboteurs set off 19 total fires in order to disrupt the election. This act could have been very damaging to the city but luckily they were Greek fire so less damage was dealt. Greek fire is essentially a substance that gets set ablaze once exposed to oxygen. Furthermore, Kevin is the author of “World War I New York: A Guide to the City's Enduring Ties to the Great War.”

Segment 2

Kevin also has written books about Dorothy Parker as well as Round Tables. He has a great interest in jazz and speakeasies. In regard to the Spanish American War, Kevin states that there likely was not much spying or sabotage going on. The war did not take place for a very long time which may partially be the reason. Also, Kevin explains how the Zimmerman Telegram was a secret document issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany. It was intercepted which led to the declaration of the First World War as well as the famous explosion of Black Tom. 

Segment 3

The second half of the show features the second guest named Bob Brenner who is a New York City Tour Guide. He is also the Founder of Pigs Feet Walking Tours. Bob lives in Chelsea but is not originally from the state. Bob first got interested in spies and saboteurs in NY along with NY history overall after seeing Nazis in Yorkville and experiencing how they acted. Yorkville was also the home of the German American Bund. Their main responsibility was to promote propaganda that pushed America to stay neutral and remain out of the war. In addition, they hosted summer camps that taught pupils how to handle firearms and craft explosives such as bombs. 

Segment 4

Bob recently has been doing webinars and tours on various topics such as New York City in the ’80s and ’90s. The leader of the Bund was named Fritz Julius Kuhn who was corrupt and spent group funds on his mistress. He was later kicked out and lost citizenship. William Sebold was an American citizen who was born in Germany and had a family who lived there. Eventually, he went to go visit his mother when Nazis recognized that he had American traits and made him become a spy for them or else his family would be hurt and he would not be allowed to leave. He agrees but later devises a plan with the FBI to get wired for sound and set up the German Government once they told all of their information.