Frau Johanna Hoffman was a hairstylist/manicurist on the ocean liner Europa. In February 1938 FBI G-men arrested Hoffman and two ethnic German accomplices. All were tied to a Nazi spy ring that operated out of Berlin, Germany and New York City. One of the spies was an aviation mechanic stationed at a military base on Long Island. Another was a former American Sergeant who'd served in the Canal Zone prior to deserting from the U.S. Army. When she was first arrested, Hoffman was identified as someone who worked for an unnamed European power.