Another project occupying George during the early months of 1777 was improving his espionage network. He worked especially hard to get spies reporting to him from New York City where the British headquarters was, but he was eager for any information he could get - and from any source. When British spies where captured and waiting to be hung, George asked the Presbyterian minister who visited them to pump them for any potentially valuable information they might have. Sometimes George directed that false information be given to loyalists known to be communicating with the British. When one officer asked for permission to arrest a suspected spy George suggested a dinner invitation instead. He told the officer to accidentally lay out an official looking document with exaggerated American manpower numbers where it could be seen, in the hope these would get back to the British. George was extremely careful to keep his spying activities secret. In most cases he relied on verbal instructions only so that letters could not fall into the wrong hands and give away valuable information. (After 1779 he wrote messages in an invisible ink invented by a doctor who was also an amateur chemist.) Money to pay spies was often raised by the financier Robert Morris and sent directly to George without going through Congress. This avoided the danger of secrets being spilled by loose lips in the legislature.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 23:52:00 +0000
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