The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1918-06-21
BRITISH CAPITAL
AL.IvE. WITH SPIES
Americans Are Warned 10 Keep
Their Mouths Shut While
Staying IN London.
GREAT Wits GALLERY
Women Are Particularly Active In
Seeking Information From Careless
officers-stiIl Most cosnaopoli.
tan City In the World.


London To young American f1gnt.
Ing men, as Well As to English, lhe
same advice Is goad-thaf III ii d wise
and patriotic soldier and sailor who
Keeps his war Information to himself
because, despite repeated warnings,
about the dangerous habit of discuss
Ing military and naval matters iii puh-
lie, London restaurants aud hotels are
still full of ehatterers. In the past
women have been accused of. being
possessed OF an uncomfortable pas
sion for gossip. hui it seems that men.
are even worse In this respect.
Some idea OF the danger Of random
talk about matters that should ha kept
confidential and neyef discussed In
public may he gathered from the fact
that London is still lhe most cosme.
politan city in the world. The Mest
end IS crowded with male and fenaIe
adventurers from almost every known
country, including Germany, and III
though every one of them would swear
by everything Tint Is holy that fiey
ure longing passionntely for nn allioa
victory there Is little reason to doubt
that some of them are spies, and mnng
undoubtedly are potential spies.
To give an example: Clnly recently
In one Of London's biggest hotels there
was quite little cluster of Russian
women. They We're Young md pretty.
had attractive manners, and were not
hampered by any chaperon. So they
soon found admirers in plenty Just
what they were nfter.
Confined Attention to Officers.
Perhaps there would not have heen
anything very strange about this lint
for the fact that these young women
confined their attention exclusively to
officers. soldiers, Sailors, and airmen,
They Invariably turned the cold sheul-
der upon civilians, hut no sooner dil 4
strange officer appear Iii the lounge.
fhan somehow or other they man-
aged To scrape up an acquaintance
With him.
Another curious thing about these
women was that they rarely spoke to
any man for more than al minutes
pr half IN hour Perhaps they would
have a cup of coffee with him or
smoke Il cigarette, but III il few min
ntes the women made some excuse and
went away.
Still more suspicious was the fact
that several Of these Russian women
j were seen 10 be constantly conversing
with young Russian civilian. He
also was stopping III The hotel and an-
peared wherever he was seen with
them To he cross examining the women.
Eventually their behavior attract.
ed attention, and they were watched.
The next day they disappeared and
have not been seen since.
Women Probably Acted for cpies.
| or course. 1t is JUST possible that
there Is an innocent or. n amy rate.
! plausible explanation nf these ,ays.
terous womenN On the otaer iiand 1t
1t regarded as likely that theY were
in the pay Of spy organization
that their part Of fine hnsiness was To
collect information. ahirh they hand.
4 Su bNSi W " liiiSiSl @4tN. NItH III 1llH
turn sifted and checked the data he
! received, and then IN some way OF
other transmitted them to Berlin.
Only The other evening two yonng
/ pilots were dining ia a restaurant
/ noted for HIS foreign clientele. iiley
We're talking loudly md, Us Is tie WY
sometimes with Young men, somewhat
heedlessly. When, however. Il women,
] d total stranger 10 n0il III them, sii-
( ting at the next fable leaned over ind
said: q wonder II you can tell ME
where the V squadron IS stationed
now; / have d friend there" The
youngsters were shrewl enough to say
/ they did not know and started talk.
ing about iheaters
There is, of course, the wise dictnm
/ that those who talk don't know, ant
those who know don't talk All the
same Ii must be remembered thai
! London Is one great Whispering gal
1 lery, and the most casual remark deal
ing with operations in France on else
/ where may be just tie final CHECK
wanted by the Germans 10 verify /
vast mass Of information obtained
from thousand and one sources.