Tom Barry, John Joe Sheehy, and Tomás Óg MacCurtain immediately resigned from the IRA, with Barry denouncing Russell's planned bombing campaign as "doomed to failure as the Fenian dynamite campaign" and "unethical and immoral", while subsequently, more conservative Republicans such as Patrick McGrath and Seamus O'Donovan returned to the fold. Barry would later claim that Russell and his supporters had said that the German American Bund would fund their planned attack on the United Kingdom. Before starting the bombing campaign, Russell moved to shore up the political credibility of the IRA in January 1939. As Chief of Staff, he was able to secure a powerful symbolic gesture from the "rump" of the second Dáil, that is to say, elected members of the Second Dáil who remained hardline Republicans. Seven of these former TDs transferred what authority they believed they had as representatives of the second Dáil to the IRA army council, thus, in their minds, rendering it the legitimate governing body of Ireland. The IRA felt this move gave them the authority to formally declare war on the United Kingdom, which they would almost immediately do. The Sabotage Campaign commenced some days later with bombing attacks on a number of English cities. In February 1939 Russell was also involved in a meeting with German Intelligence (Abwehr) agent Oscar Pfaus. Activity in the United States, 1939 To pursue the propaganda arm of the S-Plan, Russell travelled to the United States in April 1939. Prior to leaving, he stood down as IRA chief of staff and was replaced by Stephen Hayes. The aim of his journey was to 'show the flag' and place himself in the public mind as the leader of militant Irish nationalism. While there Russell made several public addresses. He was trailed by Federal Bureau of Investigation "G-Men" at the request of Scotland Yard, and then detained by the United States Immigration Service at the Detroit border with Windsor, Ontario during the American visit of King George VI. The incident immediately aroused enormous indignation among Irish-Americans, culminating in a protest by 76 Irish-descended members of Congress. They demanded an explanation from President Roosevelt about the 'Russell Case', failing which they would not participate in the Congressional reception for the King. While in the United States, Russell met with his Clan na Gael host Joseph McGarrity and Robert Monteith, one of Casement's colleagues in 1916 and, at that time, director