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Espionage in the Canal Zone
In our collections, there are photographs of the seemingly unassuming U.S. passenger ship called the SS America. However, this ship was implicated in the largest espionage case in U.S. history while it was in the Panama Canal.
Two Nazi spies who were part of the Duquesne Spy Ring, Erwin Wilhelm Siegler and Franz Joseph Stigler, disguised themselves as the chief butcher and chief baker, while they obtained information about the movement of ships and military defense preparations in the Canal Zone. Stigler also sought to recruit amateur radio operators in the U.S. as channels of communication to German radio stations, and he met with other German Agents to advise them in their espionage pursuits.
The S.S. America, before being converted into a troop transport by the U.S. Navy. The side of the ship reads “AMERICA” “UNITED STATES LINER.” This was in order to protect the ship, as the U.S. was still neutral at the time of this photo. 
The spies remained on the SS America until the U.S. Navy converted that ship into a troop transport and commissioned her in the U.S. Navy as the USS West Point in 1941. Both Siegler and Stigler were sentenced to imprisonment for espionage.
If you want to learn more about the Duquesne Spy Ring, visit the FBI website.
What’s the most interesting story you have heard about the Canal Zone and World War II?
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Be a part of our 2019 exhibition
We are calling for stories to include in our 2019 exhibition at the Albert H. Nahmad Panama Canal Gallery at the University of Florida. 2019 marks the anniversary of many major events that took place in and around the Canal Zone, so the exhibition will consist of images and objects relating to these events as well as oral histories. By sharing your story, you can help this exhibit come alive for the many guests that will visit it.
We are looking for stories related to these topics:
- 1964 Flag Riots
- End of the Canal Zone
- Operation Just Cause
- Transfer of the Canal to the Republic of Panama
- Torrijos-Carter Treaties
If you would like to submit your story, please contact Liz Bouton at dizliz@ufl.edu or 352-273-2685.
Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos shake hands after signing the Panama Canal Treaty. Courtesy of National Archives Catalog. -
From the Stacks: Queen Lois I
We have a multitude of photographs of Queen Lois I in the collection, including some of her pictured with her court, thanks to donations from the Katya De LaMatier Collection. Lois was crowned Carnival Queen in 1941. A program details the schedule for Lois’s coronation ceremony, which included many musical performances. The program also lists the “princesses” in Lois’s court.
Did you attend Queen Lois’s Coronation Ceremonies? Did you ever personally know someone who was crowned Carnival Queen? What are some of your favorite memories from Carnival in the Canal Zone?
