Evening star., 1928-09-23

Mai. Redls who's Who" among for
eign spies operating in Austria Hun
gary.
| And what began as a pleasant visit
| to sip Tokay ended soon after for Ito
with an enforced stav behind prison
| bars.
That room at the K. S. and many
other scientific and psychological traps
for foreign spies were only part of Maj
| Redl's equipment, the mechanical part
of it. Even more effective was the
deftuess of his personality.
The illustration I select may seem
curious, in so much as it shows Maj.
Redl getting the best of child. But
spies and detectives have told me it is
easier to fish in the we'll stocked, if
guarded, minds of adults than in the
uniformed rambling and shy mind of
a child.
EOR decades there had been bad
Il blood between Austria Hungary
and its neighbor, Serbia. Peace and
war between the two were in state of
delicate equilibrium.
Now Serbia by itself would not have
given the "war college" of Austria-Hun-
gary any great, concern. But behind
Serbia was its powerful ally, Russia.
And allied to Russia was France, with
England as another probable ally.
In back Of Austria Hungary, on the
other hand, was the German empire.
AS every schoolboy now knows, this
lineup of powers made the great war
And even in 1900, when Maj Redl had
charge of the secret service of Austria
Hungary, in every war college in Eu-
fhnrn Kf1nUlndyn fhQf
trouble was brewing.
/. Taking the German Gen. Won Moltkes
degree of preparedness as model, the
war college of Austria Hungary, with
Gen. Conrad Won Hoetzendorff, COM
mander-in- chief of the army. as pro
fesSor," studied particularly how best
to invade Serbia at the instant of war.
1t takes years to mature such a plan.
plan Three" for the invasion of
Serbia between Drinamundung and
Savemundung. was the slowly matur-
ing pet project of the war college of
Austria Hungary.
And it was Maj Redl's duty to see
that no one outside of the war college
learned a syllable of Plan Three.
He succeeded apparently so well as
chief of the secret service that he won
promotion after promotion, until he be-
came Col. Redl and was made men,
ber Of the Prague Army Corps, and as
such was participant in the formula
ton of Plan Three.
At about this time Redl took stock
of himself. AS a brilliant and quickly
rising Austrian army officer he COM
manded a respectable salary. But Col,
Redl's lust for luxury was anything but
respectable, in proportion to his income.
From his own country Redl could
count on only colonel's salary. From
Russia-if he choSe-he could conf
IDENTIFY expect the income of prince.
One day there came on visit to gay
Vienna a Russian nobleman who held
the purse-strings of the secret service
in his country. Col. Redl, as sort of
friendly enemy" colleague, helped to
make Vienna still more gay for the
visitor
Then one day the two, apparently to
recuperate from too much VienneSe
night life, went out into the country for
a stroll.
Col. Redl led to hilltop from which
there was fine view to be had in every
direction. There was not soul in sight.
Whereupon Col. Redl and the Russian
began to talk business.
Then the visitor went back to Russia
and Col. Redl went back to work.
y X \ x
MOT long after this the heir to the
throne of Austria Hungary, Arch
duke Francis Ferdinand, visited Russia,
where he was so lavishly entertained
that he felt grateful.
Like most royal princes, he was rather
out of touch with hard reality. AS a
graceful gesture he asked Col. Redl that
Austro- Hungarian espionage in Russia
be reduced.
But Just about this time a Russian
colonel privately came to see an Austro-
Hungarian military attache in Warsaw.
The Russian colonel, like Col. Redl, mad