ABSTRACT
The year 1915 was a trial for the Western Allies. Pre-war fears of German sabotage proved unwarranted. However, the Allies faced another problem: in early May a shortage of artillery shells resulted in defeat at the Battle of Aubers. Meanwhile, Britain was rocked by the Glasgow Rent Strikes while French agitators denounced the government and the war. These events moved political leaders to refocus intelligence agencies from counter-espionage to surveillance of agitators, who they believed posed a much graver threat to the war effort. However, their direct action against subversives remained limited as policymakers reassessed how to deal with the homefront.
