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The Anglo-Irish factors in the Indo-German conspiracy in San Francisco during WWI, 1913-1921
Abstract
Just a few months into WWI, an Indo-German-Irish network had been established among conspirators whose intent was to send American weapons to India for a revolt against the Raj. The gun shipment was organized in New York and sent to a ship in San Diego. This ship, the Annie Larsen, was suppose to rendezvous with another ship, the Maverick, off the coast of Mexico. The latter ship was then suppose to take the guns to India. The plan failed but an American investigation was launched to determine whether US neutrality laws were violated. British spies, Irish republicans, private detectives, US investigators and prosecutors, German operatives and diplomats, and Indian revolutionaries were all locked together in a cloak-and-dagger tale which resulted in a six month trial, ending with shots fired in the courtroom and two Indian conspirators lying dead. After spending millions of dollars and deploying vast human resources, Anglo-American authorities, working in tandem, were able to convict the core conspirators and place many of them behind bars for the war's duration. However, the Anglo-American defeat of the conspiracy did not end Irish participation in the Indian nationalist cause, as these same Indian conspirators forged an even stronger alliance with Irish republicans after the trial. In fact, the Anglo-American assault only further united the Indians and Irish as they began to see themselves as blood-brothers. This paper intends to illuminate the British and Irish factors which helped to shape the Indo-German Conspiracy and Trial in San Francisco during World War I. Without the help of the Irish in America, the conspiracy would have had difficulty getting as far as it did. Conversely, without the help of the British, the American investigation and prosecution would never have advanced beyond their rudimentary beginnings. The fact that this was an Indo-German-Irish versus Anglo-American contest impacted the course and outcome of the Indo-German Conspiracy, its investigation, its trial, and its legacy.
Subject Area
European history|American history|International law|International relations
Recommended Citation
Plowman, Matthew Erin, "The Anglo-Irish factors in the Indo-German conspiracy in San Francisco during WWI, 1913-1921" (1999). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9929222.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9929222