SECRET ARMIES
80
eye again and nodded.
library, the second one
The
left
toward the stern of the boat.
steward opened a closet in the
main aisle on the port side
thin package was taken from its
of the
A
hiding place and quickly slipped to Orgell
who
covered
it
with
newspaper and promptly left the ship.
This was the manner in which Nazi secret instructions and
spy reports were sent and received a procedure that kept up
his
until the arrest of the Nazi spies
who were
tried late in 1938.
When
Orgell needed trusted men to deliver messages to and
as well as to smuggle off material, he usually
called upon the American branch of the Stahlhelm, or Steel
Helmets, which used to drill secretly in anticipation of Der Tag
from the boats
in this country. Only when he felt that he was not being
watched, or only in the event of the most important messages,
did he go aboard the ships personally. Orgell s liaison man in
the smuggling activities was Frank Mutschinski, a painting con
tractor who used to live at 116 Garland Court, Garritsen Beach,
N. Y.
Mutschinski came to the United States from Germany on the
S.S. "George Washington," June 16, 1920. He was commander
of one of the American branches of the Stahlhelm which had
offices at 174 East 85th Street, New York. While he was in com
mand, he received his orders direct from Franz Seldte, subse
quently Minister of Labor under Hitler. Seldte at that time
was in Magdeburg, Germany. Branches of the Stahlhelm were
established by
hi m and
Orgell in Rochester, Chicago, Phila
delphia, Newark, Detroit, Los Angeles and Toronto (the first
step in the Fifth Column s invasion of Canada)
To help Orgell in his smuggling activities, Mutschinski sup
plied him with a chief assistant, Carl Brunkhorst. It was Brunkhorst s job to deliver the secret letters. Nazi uniforms for Ameri
can Storm Troopers were smuggled into this country off Ger
man ships by Paul Bante who lived at 186 East 9$rd Street, New
.