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[00:00]
A
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest here. And if you're looking for some serious fun, head over to chumbacasino.com@chumba casino. You can play all your favorite social casino style games for free anytime, anywhere. It's the most fun you can have on your phone or computer. No purchase necessary. BGW Group void we're prohibited by laws
[00:14]
B
e terms and conditions 21 plus welcome back everybody. So today we're looking at the waterfront Mata Hari. It's a strange one. Just to let you know. It's one of the most overlooked stories from the secret world of espionage. We're going to be looking to a father daughter team that operated right under America's nose in the heart of New York City. The story of Simon Email Codell and a young woman he turned into the waterfront Mata Hari. So take a picture of New York harbor in the late 1930s and early 40s. Liberty ships and freighters crowd the docks, lend lease supplies bound for Britain pile up on the piers. Seamen from every Allied nation pour into the waterfront bars of Brooklyn and Manhattan after their long voyages. The air smells of salt, diesel and cheap whiskey. And somewhere in that haze, a middle aged German American. German born American and his attractive young daughter are collecting secrets that could help sink those very ships. Simon Cadell was born in Wurzburg, Bavaria. He came to the United States in the early 1900s in his 20s, enlisted in the U.S. army, served as a corporal and became a naturalized citizen. During the First World War he had already shown a talent for espionage working for Imperial Germany. After the war, he settled into ordinary American life, at least on the surface. By the 1930s, with the rise of the Nazis, Cordell was back in the game. The out there. Germany's military intelligence service enrolled him as agent A2 00 sorry, agent A 2011. His specialty was American shipping and industrial production. Cordell was patient and methodical. He posed as a concerned citizen, writing letters to congressmen and officials asking detailed questions about defense plants and ports. He haunted the waterfront himself, watching ships load and unload from ferry decks and even from a small fishing boat. But his most effective tool was actually something else. It was his adopted daughter, Marie. Marie Codell was born in Brooklyn in 1918. The Codells had taken her and her brother in his orphans. By the mid-1930s, she was an attractive young woman. So Cordell took her in when he was around 36, 37 at the time. In 1936 when she was 18, Simon arranged for her travel to Germany. There she received training from the Auverg. When she returned to New York the following year. She was ready. Simon began sending Marie into the waterfront bars. Her job was simple and dangerous. Strike up conversations with sailors, buy them drinks, smile, flirt and listen. The men talked about cargo, sailing, dates to destinations. Marie reported everything back to her father. He called her with a mixture of pride and dark humor, the waterfront Mata Hari. After the famous World War I spy who used seduction as her weapon, Marie was very effective. Through the men she dated, she supplied enough information for Simon to produce detailed reports for the German navy. One report covered American ships inspected by the British on suspicion of carrying contraband. Another dealt with the flow of supplies leaving New York for the Allies. Simon himself continued gathering open source material and observing the harbor. Together they built a steady stream of intelligence that reached Berlin long before the US entered the war. Their work was not glamorous. It was repetitive, grubby, and after demeaning and often demeaning from Marie. Later she would claim that her father was abusive and she acted under pressure. Whether that was true or simply a defense strategy, the relationship with the true between the two was clearly complicated. Marie even became involved indirectly with a British sailor by the name of Duncan Scott Ford, whose own later espionage activities in Lisbon led to his execution by the British in 1942. The web of contacts around the Cordals stretched further than most people realized. For years, the pair operated with surprising freedom. American counterintelligence was still finding its feet. The FBI and military authorities were more focused on domestic radical groups. Later on Japanese and German agents. After Pearl harbor, the Codel's activities before December 1941 fell into a legal gray zone. That timing will later save them from the harshest possible penalties. You see, everything began to unrivale in 1944. By then the US was fully at war and security around the ports had tightened. Simon had been ordered out of the Eastern Defense Command in 1943 and had to move to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia on October 23, 1944. Agents arrested him there. Marie was arrested the same day in New York. The charges conspiracy to commit espionage under the peacetime statute. The trial that follows relatively quiet by the standards of wartime spy cases. Simon pleaded guilty. Marie went to trial and was convicted. She claimed she had acted under duress and that her father had physically abused both her and her mother. The court sentenced Simon to 15 years. Marie received seven and a half. Both avoided the possibility of the death penalty that maritime espionage could have brought. Their known spying had happened while the United States was still officially neutral. Simon died actually in 1949. So just a few years after being sentenced and not long after his release or while still in custody. Records differ slightly on the exact circumstances. Marie served her time and then largely disappeared from public view. Their story faded into the background of long wartime spy dramas, the Duquesne Ring, the landing of German saboteurs, the atomic secrets. The waterfront Mata Hari never became a household name. But yet the case matters. It shows how vulnerable American ports were in the years before Pearl harbor, demonstrates the German intelligence preference for patient, low profile agents who used open sources, and also raises uncomfortable questions about the use of family members, especially a young woman in intelligence work. Mary was both instrument and, by her own later account, victim. There's a photograph that sometimes circulates with the story, a newspaper image of Simon and Marie side by side, the caption noting the deep hatred for Britain. The faces look ordinary. That ordinariness is what makes the tales so unsettling. Spies don't always look like the figures in the movies. Sometimes they look like a middle aged man writing letters to his congressman or a young woman laughing with sailors in a Brooklyn bar. Today the waterfront bars are mostly gone, replaced by parks and high rises, the ships that once crowded New York harbor, or museums or pieces or scraps. But the lesson remains. Espionage thrives in the gaps between nations of peace and nations of war, between the public face of a citizen and the private work of an agent, between a father's ambition and a daughter's limited choices. That's the strange spy fact for today. That's it for now.
[06:54]
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Summary5 min read

Spy Craft — Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Waterfront Mata Hari: How a Father-Daughter Spy Team Hunted Ships in New York Harbor
Date: August 9, 2026
Host: Circle Of Insight Productions

Episode Overview

This episode uncovers the little-known but fascinating true story of a German-American father-daughter spy team, Simon and Marie Codell, who operated in New York Harbor in the lead-up to and early years of World War II. Nicknamed the "Waterfront Mata Hari," Marie played a pivotal role in intelligence gathering that threatened Allied shipping, revealing vulnerabilities in American counter-espionage efforts and raising difficult questions about coercion, agency, and family loyalty in the world of espionage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life and Operations of Simon Codell

Background: Simon Codell, born in Wurzburg, Bavaria, immigrated to the US in the early 1900s, served as a corporal in the US Army, and became a naturalized citizen.
Early Espionage: Already shown a "talent for espionage" during WWI for Germany, then returned to civilian life before being recruited again with the rise of Nazi Germany.

“Cordell was patient and methodical. He posed as a concerned citizen, writing letters to congressmen… haunting the waterfront himself… observing the harbor.” — Host [01:50]
Specialty: Enrolled as agent A2011 by the German Abwehr, focusing on American shipping and industrial production.

Recruitment and Role of Marie Codell

Adoption and Training: Marie, born in Brooklyn in 1918, was adopted along with her brother. After turning 18 in 1936, Simon sent her to Germany for espionage training.
Espionage Tactics:
- Marie was sent into Brooklyn and Manhattan waterfront bars, where she "struck up conversations with sailors," gathering valuable shipping intel.
- Used social and romantic strategies similar to the infamous Mata Hari.
"Marie reported everything back to her father. He called her with a mixture of pride and dark humor, the waterfront Mata Hari." — Host [03:12]
Effectiveness & Risks: Information gathered by Marie detailed cargo movements and inspection routines, effectively aiding the German navy.
Personal Toll and Complications:
- Noted that her work was "repetitive, grubby, and often demeaning."
- Later claims surfaced that Simon was abusive and Marie was coerced, introducing ambiguity around her agency and moral culpability.
"She claimed she had acted under duress and that her father had physically abused both her and her mother." — Host [05:03]

Network and Wider Connections

Contacts: Marie became involved with a British sailor, Duncan Scott Ford, whose own espionage led to his execution in Lisbon, illustrating the broader web the Codells were part of.

"The web of contacts around the Cordals stretched further than most people realized." — Host [04:04]

American Counter-Espionage and Arrest

Legal Gray Zone: US intelligence was not fully prepared for German espionage, and pre-war activity left many cases in a legal limbo post-Pearl Harbor.

"After Pearl harbor, the Codel's activities before December 1941 fell into a legal gray zone. That timing will later save them from the harshest possible penalties." — Host [04:34]
Arrest and Sentencing:
- Simon was ordered to leave the Eastern Defense Command in 1943; arrested in Harpers Ferry, WV, in 1944. Marie was arrested in New York the same day.
- Both were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage; Simon pled guilty, Marie stood trial and claimed duress.
- Sentencing: Simon—15 years; Marie—7.5 years. Both avoided the death penalty since activities occurred before US entry into the war.

Legacy and Lessons

Aftermath: Simon died in 1949 under unclear circumstances; Marie served time and faded from public life.
Case Importance:
- Highlights vulnerabilities in US port security before WWII.
- Shows German preference for "patient, low profile agents" leveraging open sources and undercover social manipulation.
- Examines the ethics and psychological costs of using family, especially women, as espionage assets.
"Espionage thrives in the gaps between nations of peace and nations of war, between the public face of a citizen and the private work of an agent, between a father's ambition and a daughter's limited choices." — Host [06:22]
Lasting Image: The ordinary appearance of Simon and Marie in a surviving news photograph serves as a chilling reminder that spies "don’t always look like the figures in the movies."

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On the Setting:

“Take a picture of New York harbor in the late 1930s and early 40s… Seamen from every Allied nation pour into the waterfront bars of Brooklyn and Manhattan… Somewhere in that haze, a middle-aged German-born American and his attractive young daughter are collecting secrets that could help sink those very ships.” — Host [00:43]
On Marie’s Role:

“Her job was simple and dangerous. Strike up conversations with sailors, buy them drinks, smile, flirt and listen.” — Host [02:58]
On Moral Ambiguity:

“Mary was both instrument and, by her own later account, victim.” — Host [06:18]
Closing Reflection:

“That ordinariness is what makes the tale so unsettling. Spies don't always look like figures in the movies… The lesson remains. Espionage thrives in the gaps between nations of peace and nations of war…” — Host [06:31]

Notable Timestamps

00:14 — Introduction to the case and New York Harbor setting
01:20 — Background on Simon Codell and German espionage activities
02:36 — Introduction to Marie Codell and her recruitment
03:30 — Marie’s work as the waterfront Mata Hari and tactics
04:00 — Network of contacts and scope of their operation
04:30 — American counterintelligence limitations and the legal context
05:00 — Arrest, trial, and aftermath for Simon and Marie
05:58 — Reflection on why this case matters and the lasting lessons
06:22 — Host’s powerful summary on the enduring lessons of espionage

Conclusion

This haunting episode reveals how family, routine social spaces, and seemingly mundane individuals took center stage in the dangerous game of WWII intelligence. The story of Simon and Marie Codell—a tale of secrecy, manipulation, and ambiguous victimhood—serves as a cautionary illustration of how espionage exploits everyday life and personal relationships, and how its shadows linger long after the events fade from public memory.

Loading summary

Transcript4 lines

[00:00]
A
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest here. And if you're looking for some serious fun, head over to chumbacasino.com@chumba casino. You can play all your favorite social casino style games for free anytime, anywhere. It's the most fun you can have on your phone or computer. No purchase necessary. BGW Group void we're prohibited by laws
[00:14]
B
e terms and conditions 21 plus welcome back everybody. So today we're looking at the waterfront Mata Hari. It's a strange one. Just to let you know. It's one of the most overlooked stories from the secret world of espionage. We're going to be looking to a father daughter team that operated right under America's nose in the heart of New York City. The story of Simon Email Codell and a young woman he turned into the waterfront Mata Hari. So take a picture of New York harbor in the late 1930s and early 40s. Liberty ships and freighters crowd the docks, lend lease supplies bound for Britain pile up on the piers. Seamen from every Allied nation pour into the waterfront bars of Brooklyn and Manhattan after their long voyages. The air smells of salt, diesel and cheap whiskey. And somewhere in that haze, a middle aged German American. German born American and his attractive young daughter are collecting secrets that could help sink those very ships. Simon Cadell was born in Wurzburg, Bavaria. He came to the United States in the early 1900s in his 20s, enlisted in the U.S. army, served as a corporal and became a naturalized citizen. During the First World War he had already shown a talent for espionage working for Imperial Germany. After the war, he settled into ordinary American life, at least on the surface. By the 1930s, with the rise of the Nazis, Cordell was back in the game. The out there. Germany's military intelligence service enrolled him as agent A2 00 sorry, agent A 2011. His specialty was American shipping and industrial production. Cordell was patient and methodical. He posed as a concerned citizen, writing letters to congressmen and officials asking detailed questions about defense plants and ports. He haunted the waterfront himself, watching ships load and unload from ferry decks and even from a small fishing boat. But his most effective tool was actually something else. It was his adopted daughter, Marie. Marie Codell was born in Brooklyn in 1918. The Codells had taken her and her brother in his orphans. By the mid-1930s, she was an attractive young woman. So Cordell took her in when he was around 36, 37 at the time. In 1936 when she was 18, Simon arranged for her travel to Germany. There she received training from the Auverg. When she returned to New York the following year. She was ready. Simon began sending Marie into the waterfront bars. Her job was simple and dangerous. Strike up conversations with sailors, buy them drinks, smile, flirt and listen. The men talked about cargo, sailing, dates to destinations. Marie reported everything back to her father. He called her with a mixture of pride and dark humor, the waterfront Mata Hari. After the famous World War I spy who used seduction as her weapon, Marie was very effective. Through the men she dated, she supplied enough information for Simon to produce detailed reports for the German navy. One report covered American ships inspected by the British on suspicion of carrying contraband. Another dealt with the flow of supplies leaving New York for the Allies. Simon himself continued gathering open source material and observing the harbor. Together they built a steady stream of intelligence that reached Berlin long before the US entered the war. Their work was not glamorous. It was repetitive, grubby, and after demeaning and often demeaning from Marie. Later she would claim that her father was abusive and she acted under pressure. Whether that was true or simply a defense strategy, the relationship with the true between the two was clearly complicated. Marie even became involved indirectly with a British sailor by the name of Duncan Scott Ford, whose own later espionage activities in Lisbon led to his execution by the British in 1942. The web of contacts around the Cordals stretched further than most people realized. For years, the pair operated with surprising freedom. American counterintelligence was still finding its feet. The FBI and military authorities were more focused on domestic radical groups. Later on Japanese and German agents. After Pearl harbor, the Codel's activities before December 1941 fell into a legal gray zone. That timing will later save them from the harshest possible penalties. You see, everything began to unrivale in 1944. By then the US was fully at war and security around the ports had tightened. Simon had been ordered out of the Eastern Defense Command in 1943 and had to move to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia on October 23, 1944. Agents arrested him there. Marie was arrested the same day in New York. The charges conspiracy to commit espionage under the peacetime statute. The trial that follows relatively quiet by the standards of wartime spy cases. Simon pleaded guilty. Marie went to trial and was convicted. She claimed she had acted under duress and that her father had physically abused both her and her mother. The court sentenced Simon to 15 years. Marie received seven and a half. Both avoided the possibility of the death penalty that maritime espionage could have brought. Their known spying had happened while the United States was still officially neutral. Simon died actually in 1949. So just a few years after being sentenced and not long after his release or while still in custody. Records differ slightly on the exact circumstances. Marie served her time and then largely disappeared from public view. Their story faded into the background of long wartime spy dramas, the Duquesne Ring, the landing of German saboteurs, the atomic secrets. The waterfront Mata Hari never became a household name. But yet the case matters. It shows how vulnerable American ports were in the years before Pearl harbor, demonstrates the German intelligence preference for patient, low profile agents who used open sources, and also raises uncomfortable questions about the use of family members, especially a young woman in intelligence work. Mary was both instrument and, by her own later account, victim. There's a photograph that sometimes circulates with the story, a newspaper image of Simon and Marie side by side, the caption noting the deep hatred for Britain. The faces look ordinary. That ordinariness is what makes the tales so unsettling. Spies don't always look like the figures in the movies. Sometimes they look like a middle aged man writing letters to his congressman or a young woman laughing with sailors in a Brooklyn bar. Today the waterfront bars are mostly gone, replaced by parks and high rises, the ships that once crowded New York harbor, or museums or pieces or scraps. But the lesson remains. Espionage thrives in the gaps between nations of peace and nations of war, between the public face of a citizen and the private work of an agent, between a father's ambition and a daughter's limited choices. That's the strange spy fact for today. That's it for now.
[06:54]
A
Hey, it is Ryan Seacrest here and I have discovered a fun new escape from the daily grind. Chumba Casino Chumba Casino has hundreds of social casino style games. It's all free to play anytime, anywhere with daily bonuses. So get to chumbacasino.com no purchase necessary. BGW Group void we're prohibited by laws
[07:09]
C
E terms and conditions 21 remember enjoying Saturday morning cartoons and savoring the sugary milk at the bottom of your cereal bowl? Well, Cachava's new Cinnamon French Toast all in one nutrition shake gives you all the nostalgic feels and benefits. Made with real cinnamon bark for rich, authentic flavor. Just two scoops provide the complete nutrition your body craves. Take a sip of nostalgia. Go to kachava.com and use code NEWS for 15% off your first order. That's Kachava K A C H A V A Com code NEWS.