and to have him destroyed by our agents in New York). Only his death
can restore to the (Imperial German) Government its perfect sense of
security and its certainty of (ultimate) victory.

The necessity (for his destruction) lies in the unfortunate and
terrifying fact that he is cognisant of the Great Secret! He should
have been executed at Holzminden within an hour (of his
incarceration).

This was the urgent advice of Von Tirpitz. But unfortunately High
Command intervened with the expectation (of securing from the
prisoner) further information (concerning others who, like himself,
might possibly have become possessed in some measure of a clue to
the Great Secret)? E. E.

The result is bad. (That the prisoner has escaped without betraying
a single word of information useful to us.) E. E.

Therefore, find him and have him silenced without delay. The
security of the Fatherland depends on this (man's immediate death).

M 17. (Evidently the writer of the letter) E. E.

For a long time Vaux sat studying cipher and translation. And at
last he murmured:

"Surely, surely. Fine--very fine.... Excellent work. But--WHAT is
the Great Secret?"

There was only one man in America who knew.