◆ SpookStack

TC. 65-8946 Bante assisted Paul Fehse. in obtaining information about ships bound for Britain with war. materials and supplies. Bante olaimed that as a member of the Gestapo his funetion was to create discontent among union workers, stating that every strik'e. would' assist Germany. Sebold met Bante at the Little Casino Restaurant, which. was frequented by several members of this spy ring. During one. such meeting, Bante advised that he was preparing a fuse bomb,. and he subsequently delivered dynamite and detonation caps to Sebold. Entering a guilty plea to violation of. the Registration Act,.Bante was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment and was fined $1,000. MAX BLANK Max Blank came to the United States from Germany' in 1928. Although he never became a United States citizen, Blank had been employed in New York City at a German library and at.a book' store which catered to German trade. Paul Fehse, a major figure in this case, informed Germany that. Biank, who was.acquainted with several members of the spy ring, could secure some valuable information but lacked the funds to'do so. Later Fehse and Blank met with Sebold in' his office.. They told Sebold that Blank could obtain details about rubberized self-sealing airplane gasoline tanks, as well as a new braking device for airplanes, from a friend who worked in a shipyard. However, he needed money to get the'information. Blank pleaded guilty to violation of the Registration Act.. He received a sentence of 18 months' imprisonment and a. $1,o00 fine. ALFRED E. BROKOFF Alfred E. Brokhoff, a native of Germany, came to the United States in 1923 and became a naturalized citizen in 1929. He.was a mechanic for the United States Lines in New York City for 17 years prior to his arrest. Because of his employment on .the docks, he knew almost all of the other agents in this group who were working as seamen on various ships. sailing dates and cargoes of vessels destined for England. He also assisted Fehse in:transmitting this information to Germany. Also, another German agent, George v. Leo Waalen, reported that. .rwhiet he had received information. from Brokhoff for transmittal to Germany. "..