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in Cumberland Bay.
    This time, Canaris’ strategems had far reaching repercussions in London, for it was this exchange, intercepted again by Hall, which ignited Churchill. On hearing the news that Glasgow had the Dresden more or less in its sights, Churchill ordered an immediate attack. Hall, however, tipped off Maurice Hankey, the cabinet secretary, in a not untypical example of a senior intelligence officer working internal lines of communication to restrain a politician. Hankey, however, did not need to be told that there were implications, as Chile was a neutral power, and Churchill’s order had serious political ramifications. 10
    A full scale row now ensued at a hastily convened meeting between Asquith, Churchill and Grey in which Asquith, who had been understandably kept in the dark about the entire affair, is reported to have been highly unamused, emerging from the encounter looking ‘heated’. Indeed, everyone appears to have left this encounter the worse for wear, save for the ever-serene and impassive Grey. But Luce was not countermanded and on 14 March the long delayed final act of a pursuit that had consumed a totally disproportionate amount of naval and political energy finally now took place.
    Only as the sun rose on 14 March 1915 could the captain of Glasgow be sure this was not another alarum or excursion. As the precipitous bleak cliffs of Cumberland Bay, in Chilean waters, came into view, there was the Dresden , which had eluded him for so long.
    While Glasgow and Orama approached from the west, Kent took up position from the east. Luce, who had had to flee von Spee at the Coronel and had lost the Dresden at the Falklands, spending months chasing Canaris’ false trails as a result, was in no mood for diplomacy. In the absence of any Chilean warships to enforce neutral waters, Luce noted that the Dresden was still flying the German ensign and so opened fire at 8,400 yards, straddling her with his second salvo.
    At this point, the Dresden , facing imminent destruction, could have surrendered, but as the Gneisenau and the other German ships at theBattle of the Falkland Islands had vividly shown, this was not the German tradition. As the Kent joined the action, Lüdecke returned fire but being anchored was at a serious tactical disadvantage, so that he soon hoisted a parley flag. * Seeing this, Luce ordered a cease fire and awaited the arrival of a launch which, despite the falling shot, had been lowered from the Dresden and was calmly proceeding with a small but dapper Lieutenant Canaris towards the Glasgow .
    The heavy naval binoculars of the Royal Naval officers trained onto the slight figure, who, with a studied air of insouciance, but as someone later remarked a rather serious expression, continued on his way to the British ship. Shells had fallen perilously close to the launch but the German officer stood impassively, determined to give no sign of flinching from the danger every naval officer of those times was trained for.
    Saluting as he boarded Glasgow , he was taken to Luce, who received him coolly but correctiy. The German pointed out, in the clear and confident English that his Cambridge-educated tutor at Kiel had taught him, that the Dresden was in neutral waters, the point which had so exercised Churchill, Asquith and Grey a few days before.
    Canaris made, if contemporary reports are to be believed, a good impression. His bearing was confident but not arrogant. He exuded litde evidence that he was the representative of a unit that was about to be wiped off the face of the map.
    As another German officer would write after a later war: ‘It is the function of bluff to redress the balance between one’s own inadequacy and the other man’s superiority and as this cannot be done in actual fact but only by psychological means, which are independent of tangible resources, it is a weapon peculiarly suited to a man on the run.’ 11
    Canaris spoke excellent English, as