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THE COURIER,
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2004
VETERANSí STORIES
BRING WORLD WAR II TO LIFE FOR LOCALS
For the Courier
HOUMA -
Four German spies traveled in a U-boat to the coast of Long Island during World
War II, only to come ashore less than a mile away from a U.S. Coast Guard
station.
The men
were found out and arrested shortly thereafter, recounted Cliff Anderson to
participants in Tuesday night's World War II Roundtable at the Terrebonne Parish
Main Library.
"It
makes you wonder what was the criteria in screening these people. Some of their
actions were simply laughable," he said.
The
retired FBI supervisor said, itís mishaps like that one and other flukes that
help to bring history to life.
"For
me, it's the factor of coincidence that every amateur historian finds which
shows the humanity in history,î Anderson said.
The
story was part of Anderson's "Spies, Saboteurs and Rumors" lecture,
which focused on stories of espionage during the years before and during World
War II.
He told
of Velvalee Blucher Dickinson, the "Doll Woman." She used her New York
City doll shop as a cover-up for filtering information about supplies and plans
to the Japanese.
Another
story recounted the dealings of Baron Edgar Von Spiegel, the New Orleans German
consul general. Spiegel, also a former U-boat captain, traveled the Mississippi
River making nautical notes. Those notes could possibly have been part of a plan
for submarine attacks from the Gulf of Mexico.
"There
is no proof of spies or sabotage of the U.S. in the Gulf, but there are lots of
rumors," said Anderson.
Because
of the subject matter, Tuesday night's meeting did not have the typical share
time for present veterans.
"We
weren't able to find any German spies to come and talk to us, so this time we're
gonna have to do without show and tell," joked C. J.Christ, historian buff
and roundtable founder.
The
night of stories was new to Charles Davidson, a former Houma mayor and World War
II Army veteran.
"When
you're not in the country, you don't hear about all of what happened here,"
said Davidson.
Ed
Henry of Bourg remembers hearing about some of these stories but didn't know
what was true and what was rumor.
"When
you start talking, you remember things, things start coming back to you,"
Henry said.
The
group began with about 35 members, but more than 100 have attended some of the
meetings to share experiences and learn history.
The World War II Roundtable meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Civic Center. Blvd. in Houma.
Cliff Anderson, a retired FBI supervisor
from New Orleans,
speaks to the
World War II Roundtable group Tuesday.
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