34. WWI Exploits
Early in World War I, Sidney Reilly was sent to the then-neutral United States – an important source of weapons and munitions for the Entente – and got involved in the lucrative arms business. During 1914 – 1915, he arranged weapons purchase deals for both the Imperial German Army and its enemy, the Imperial Russian Army. While in the US, he might also have conducted some false flag “German sabotage” operations on behalf of the British, to arouse the American government and public against Germany.
In 1917 – 1918, Reilly returned to Europe, and frequently got behind German lines to carry out intelligence gathering missions in occupied Belgium or Germany. Using a variety of disguises and forged identity papers, he sometimes presented himself as a peasant, and other times as a wounded German soldier or officer on sick leave from the front.