Johann Heinrich von Bernstorff
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Count Johann Heinrich von Bernstorff (November 14, 1862 – October 6, 1939) was the German ambassador to the United States and Mexico from 1908 to 1917.
He was born in London and represented Germany in London and Cairo.
He was called home to Germany on July 7, 1914, but returned on August 2 with instructions to sabotage American industry and transportation and with funds to finance the operations. Some of the plans included destroying the Welland Canal, which circumvents Niagara Falls. This was attempted in September of 1914, but failed.
Von Bernstorff was assisted by Captain Franz von Papen (who would later be Chancellor of Germany) and Captain Karl Boy-Ed, a naval attaché. The commercial attaché, Heinrich Albert would be the finance officer for the sabotage operations.
In December of the same year, von Bernstorff received a cable from the German Foreign Office instructing him to target the Canadian Railways.
On January 1, 1915, the Roebling Wire and Cable plant in Trenton, New Jersey was blown up. On January 28, an American merchant ship carrying wheat to Britain was sunk.
On February 2, Werner Horn was captured attempting to blow up the Vanceboro Bridge.
In July, 1916, the Black Tom explosion was the most spectacular of the sabotage operations.
Von Bernstorff was sent home on February 3, 1917, when Woodrow Wilson broke off diplomatic relations with Germany.
He served as chairman of the German League of Nations Union until 1933, when he went into exile in Geneva, where he died.
