Black Tom, part of Jersey City, N.J., also called Black Tom Island. In July, 1916, German saboteurs demolished U.S. munitions stores there; in Jan., 1917, they destroyed the Kingsland, N.J., munitions plant. Sued by the U.S. government in 1922 but vindicated in 1930 by an international claims commission, the German government, upon hearings in 1939, was ultimately ordered to pay $50 million in damages.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.