The Role of German Saboteurs within the USA - Essay Example

Germany’s initial reaction to the United States becoming a key supplier of arms and munitions to the Allied Forces was to buy munitions from the US to deny the Allies arms but this did not work because the US was unwilling to sell arms to Germany.  

This prompted Germany to target America with German saboteurs to prevent her from supplying arms and munitions to the Allied Powers.  The most significant act of sabotage by the Germans against the Americans was the destruction of the Black Tom harbor which destroyed two million pounds worth of munitions.

Black Tom Explosion

Black Tom is a mile-long pier on a landfill Island that connected with the Jersey City waterfront near Greenville.  During the explosion at the pier, the facility at the Black Tom harbor was filled with arms and munitions.  It was estimated that the munitions contained hundreds of pounds of TNT explosives, dynamite, shrapnel, and black powder totaling over two million pounds of shipment to Allied powers. 

In the early morning of June 30, 1916, a fire broke out followed by loud explosions whose shockwaves could be felt up to 90 miles from the Black Tom that lasted for hours and shattered thousands of Manhattan windows.

The main suspect in the sabotage was an immigrant Michael Kristoff who was said to have started the fire by planting incendiary devices in the facility for a fee of $500. 

Documents were also found about the German involvement in the explosion suggesting sabotage but no one was tried guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  Only after 17 years of trial by the German-American Mixed Claims Commission that it was found that Germany was indeed responsible for the sabotage and was ordered to pay $50 million dollars as reparation to all victims/claimants.  It was only paid in 1979 due to the interruption of another World War II.

Other attacks

Other attacks by saboteurs were also made at other facilities that contract war materials that will be sent to the Allied powers.  The Roebling Roebling Steel foundry in Trenton on January 1, 1915, was set on fire and so was the Canadian Car and Foundry plant in Kingsland which was set ablaze on January 11, 1917.

1. Would it be less or more difficult for a saboteur to attack the United States today? Why/why not?

Of course, the attack can still be planned and made today.  The most recent attack made on US soil similar to the Black Tom incident only more deadly in magnitude was the 9/11 attack.  But for it to become successful would be another question considering the heightened sense of security of the Americans.  In addition, sabotage of Black Tom's nature is already known to US defense people that it would be relatively easy for them to anticipate and pre-empt the attack.

Second, there was still no intelligence agency during the First World War, and it became easy for Germany to infiltrate America with its saboteurs because there was no advanced information available.  Today, it would be a big slap on the face of any intelligence agency if an attack of similar nature and magnitude will happen unnoticed.  It is because the materials being handled, being munitions of war are always subject to an attack and should always be guarded.  Successful sabotage would really be a long shot but of course, it may still be possible although the possibility may be minute. 

The 9/11 attack cannot be likened to the sabotages that were successful during the First World War for several reasons.  First, the defense had no inkling that a civilian aircraft will be used for an attack such as the 9/11 case.  The attack of Black Tom nature had already a military component given the war munitions that were handled and therefore it is already given that it is under threat and must be guarded.  For a saboteur to successfully slip the current defense and successfully blow up an entire facility would be close to impossible given the present sense of security, intelligence, and technology.  But of course, one cannot discount the possibility although the rate of the possibility of success may not be as great compared to 1915.