Firth of Forth. His cover included an American passport in the name
of Charles A. Inglis.
British authorities, however, began to intercept Lody’s amateur-
ishly prepared reports, causing consternation among his superiors
in Berlin. Against a backdrop of heightened spy fever, he tried to
take refuge in Ireland but was arrested at Killarney in October. Dur-
ing his public court martial in London, he surprisingly became a
sympathetic figure to the British public, for despite his “not guilty”
plea, he freely acknowledged his connection to “N” and described
it as an “honor.” Even in the weeks following the announcement
of his death sentence, Lody continued unflinchingly to affirm his
patriotic convictions. His execution before a firing squad at the
Tower of London took place on 6 November 1914. Not only was
he posthumously awarded the Iron Cross Second Class by the Ger-
man government but both MI5 and the House of Commons paid
tribute to his honor and devotion to country. Lody’s name was also
later revived during the Third Reich. In 1934, a memorial plaque
was affixed to the Burgtor in Lübeck, and the following year a
destroyer was christened in his honor.LÖFFLER, GERD (1939– ). An agent of the Verwaltung Aufklärung
(VA) involved in technological espionage, Gerd Löffler was born
in Bremen on 30 May 1939. A student of physics at Freiburg and
Hamburg, he joined the Christlich-Demokratische Union shortly be-
fore completing his studies in 1966. His doctoral dissertation found
international recognition, and in 1973 he and a partner founded an
electronic data processing firm in Hamburg, Systemtechnik GmbH.
When seeking further business connections regarding computer soft-
ware applications and related matters, a reply from a Dresden-based
company arrived. Löffler, who regarded the division of Germany as
artificial, felt no hesitation in meeting with a presumed representative
of the company in East Berlin—in reality, however, a technologically
astute officer of the VA—and an amiable relationship developed.
Feeling no pressure to obtain specific scientific or military informa-
tion, Löffler (known to the VA as händler) presented material re-
lated to data processing, energy matters, and environmental concerns.
Despite a growing suspicion that espionage might be involved, he
was reassured that his East German partner worked for a government
LÖFFLER, GERD • 271