SECRET ARMIES
52
He
it by
being in charge of arms smuggling from Ger
Mexican fascists. During the latter part of December,
many
1937, ne directed the unloading of one of the heaviest cargoes
of arms yet shipped into Mexico. Northe had informed von
Holleuffer that a German vessel whose name even Northe had
not yet been given, would be ready to land a cargo of guns,
munitions and mountain artillery somewhere along the wild
and deserted coast of Campeche where there are miles of shore
with not even an Indian around. Von Holleuffer was instructed
to arrange for unloading the cargo and having it removed into
does
to
the interior.
On December 19, 1937, von Holleuffer arranged a meeting in
Mexico City with Julio Rosenberg of 13 San Juan de Letran and
Curt Kaiser at 34 Bolivar, the latter s home. He offered them
fifty thousand pesos to take the contraband off the boat and
transport it through the chicle jungles to the destination he
would give them.
Shortly after the Japanese-Nazi pact was signed, the Japanese
Government arranged with the somewhat naive Mexican Govern
ment for Japanese fishing experts to conduct "scientific explora
tions"
along Mexico s Pacific Coast in return for teaching Mexi
cans
how
to catch fish scientifically.
The agreement provided
that
two Japanese, J. Yamashito and Y. Matsui, be employed by the
Mexican Government for the exploratory work.
Matsui arrived in Mexico in 1936 and immediately became
interested in the fish situation at Acapulco, which from a naval
standpoint has the best harbor on the entire long stretch of
Mexico s Pacific coast line. In February, 1938, he decided that
it was
important to the west-coast s hrimp-fishing studies for him
to do some exploratory work along the northeast part of the
Mexican coast, near the American border, and there he went.
Immediately after the agreement was signed, three magnificent