So they assigned a LT to prepare the invasion plans of the United States? Either this is not correct, or we see why Wilhelm's 'empire' didn't get very far.
The way I read the article, the German brass handled this just right.
The Kaiser, with vision of overseas conquest, wants a plan to invade America. This is a ludicrous notion since the German High Seas Fleet is still trying to find a way to get a single German surface capital ship into the Atlantic as the Royal Navy has them bottled up in the North Sea. Any invasion of the U.S. would have meant a Jutland area victory against the Royal Navy, then an Atlantic victory against the U.S. Navy, then a victory against U.S. shore batterries, then a contested landing near a good port, then a land victory against an entire continent with 100,000 men and a 3,000 long logistics train.
Clearly, the Kaiser was in fantasy land. However, he was the Kaiser. What the Kaiser wants, the Kaiser gets and the Kaiser wanted a U.S. war plan.
So the brass called Lieutenant von Mantey and entrusted him with this great undertaking.
In Navy jargon, Lt. von Mantley was the SLJO.
SLJO = Sh*tty Little Jobs Officer.
The Kaiser was happy and the brass was happy that the Kaiser was happy. I have a feeling that Lt. von Mantley probably knew all along that he was an SLJO.