The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-11-22
EIJROPE'S MY STERY MAN
is PARESsAN BANKER
By Charles Nc Cam

4 London, Nov. 20. ---Europe's mys-
terry man, supposed to pull the llrls-
ibie strings by which puppet kings
are seated or unseated, and to have
i 8 hand in alrnose every European IN
trigue, is paying a brief visit to Lon
don. V, n y.
Incidentally he has just been pho
tographed' publicly for the flrst time
in years, If not for the first time in
his life. The photograph discloses a
\ White-goateed gentleman OF n, some;
what resembling a slightly portiy
Buffalo Bill; black-clothed and dis
tinguished looking. 4
"Who's Who gives hin, as Sir Basil
Zaharoff, G. B. r. Knight Grand
cross OF the British Empire) holder
Of the grand cross Of the Ffench
Legion Of Honor, and a banker Of
Paris..f ,ss iii ,s ,s5s VI S8 M
3PopoAlars report gives this Anglo
French Gre cian- Russian holder Of a
Brltlsn knlghthood and the highest
class of the Legion OF Honor credit
for. beingsthe, man who put King Con-
stantine back on his throne, financed
~ a. couple Of Greek wars, and who, any
:; time ne gets a new idea, visits the
proper premiersand "puts it across
( Sir Basil was born Of a Russian
father and a Greek mother: He is
French by nationality and English by
education. He ~ at home in London,
Paris, Athens, Madrid and Monte Car
10. He can go to any European CAPT.
tai and tell the ordinary resident
things about the city.
3 He has palatial residence in Paris
in the Avenue Roche. There is beat
en- gold dinner service with jeWei-in-,
laid spoons. Tt is at Monte Carlo,
4 however, that his entertainments
reach their. climax. There, where he
has an Arabian Night-like suite at
i the Hotel de Paris, he entertains; as
he does in Paris or London, ministers,
peers and bankers, and, according to
gossip, arranges for his plans to be
effected. s.5t. I.
Sir Basil's wealth is estimated at
anything from 500, loco, 900 up. It is
probabiW"up,"" as he owns all sorts Of
j property from sstheaters to half Of
! Monte Carlo He controls an army of
banks and arn1aTn ent firms. He is sup
posed to be financing bankrupt gov
ernments one day., influencing cabin
y cts the next. He entertains .lavishly
and gives as lavishly, though he is a
/ business man whose touch is appar-
emily Midas-like. He gave S2,500,O00
Z yearsto the Greek government dur
ing the Balkan wars and is supposed
to have financed Constantine in his
return to thu throne. He gave Athens
huge wireless station, helped French
athletes, established chairs of aviation
at the universities ofParis and Petro-
grad, besides one at Oxford Universi-
j ty. %.: I = !. .s.TEs y ..@@ IT,
f, Newspapers and politicians FREE
7: ouentfy attack Sir Basil. He never
! replies and is never interviewed. a
! Col. Guinness said recently in the
J House of Commons, referring to
= Lloyd Georges friendship for Sir
Basil. H. 5@ !. ~ x.
=. sHThe voice behind the throne, or,
=. to be more accurate, the presiden-
tiaItchair:" thrust at the prime min
: .isteris control Of. British affairs, fsis
o. probably Sir Basil Zarahof' S. Z
The presens visit. TO- England has
bcen with the crisis in
Greek affairs, following the attempt
to crush Turkey. If Greek ministers
now here to negotiate a loan are
successful, it will be Sir Basil they
may thank. ~ /, WI s5 s. ,:7,@Ez