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A German Spy?
New Evidence on Baron Louis von Horst
by THOMAS BOGHARDT -- abstract

In late August 1914, detectives of New Scotland Yard’s Special Branch apprehended a German-American businessman, Baron Louis von Horst. Charged with espionage on behalf of the German government, von Horst was detained in various detention camps throughout the war, dispossessed, and expelled from Britain as an "undesirable alien" in 1919.
Ever since World War I historians have been intrigued by this alleged "German spy." Basing their research exclusively on the few available British documents, most authors to date agree that von Horst was indeed a German secret agent. However, recently the baron’s personal papers have turned up and were made accessible to historians. Hence, only now is it possible to tell the story from von Horst’s perspective.
The new documentary evidence proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Sir Basil Thomson, director of the Special Branch, cleverly and ruthlessly used the baron as a tool to advance his own career. Von Horst, loosing his wealth and health in the course of his almost 5-year detention, was unjustly branded a "German spy".