14. Hoover chose to break the news to the press in early July
On Saturday, July 4, 1942, the United States launched its bombing campaign in Europe. The same day the New York Times and other newspapers announced the eight German saboteurs, captured by the FBI as part of an operation to protect American shores from German operations. The details of the captures gave all credit to the vigilance of the FBI, with scant mention of the Coast Guard and none of the details provided by George Dasch. Dasch had notified the bureau of the existence of the plot, the targets involved, the names of the conspirators, and where most of them could be found. The contacts from the secret writing on the handkerchief he had given and explained to the FBI gave them the rest.
The only references to Dasch described him as being cooperative during questioning. Following the news stories, repeated in newspapers across the country, President Roosevelt sent Hoover a message of congratulations. There were calls for Hoover to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Roosevelt announced that the eight Germans would be tried by a Military Tribunal, the first in the United States to try civilians since the trial of the eight conspirators in the Lincoln assassination in 1865. In Germany, Hitler was furious at the embarrassing failure of the Abwehr’s plan, and forbade Canaris from conducting similar operations for the rest of the war.