Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01


corners to Coblenz, had to report to police
stations several times day. Even old hands
like our Russian auxiliaries dreaded Coblenz,
and demanded bonuses for working there.
IN secret service there was always threat Of
violence. It might be in q sudden fierce
gunfght such as an American !. P. had In
Nancy with three American deSerterS, who were
also suspected German SympathiZers. It might
be carefully planned, cold-blooded aSsassina
ton, which was far more common in fiction
than in fact, although on the eastern front,
in Russia, not unknown.
Assassination was not of course a weapon
OF American secret service, although certain
private Americans are said once to have adj
vised British secret service leader to EN-
ploy It, II he had, there would probably be
today neither Soviet Republic nor Red men,
ace"
Perhaps the biggest secret service job any
one did in the World War was the sealed
train" In which the Germans transported from
Switzerland. across Germany, to Russia all the
exiled bolsheviks they could lay hands on,
including Nikolai Lenin. It was that train
load largely, that hurled the pro-ally Keren-
sky from power sent home the Russian Army
let the Germans through, and finally made
with them the peace Of Brest-Litovsk. That
trainload looSed upon Russia the bolshevik
over the world
That train, with a charge deadler than any
bomb conceived by the mind Of man. was not
prevented from leaving neutral Switzerland
Nor before that did allies and Americans
hang onto such men as Trotsky and Tchit-
cherin when they had them fast Their gov
ernmentS did not believe in rough stuff"
Experience may have changed some views
but certainly there was trough stuff" in secret
service, and in some Of it Americans took
part, not always that Of innocent victim
II AIDING embassies, legations and consulates
was favorite game of both Sides Those
supposedly impeccable agencies of dignified
governments were suspected Of doing spy BUSH
ness on the side, especially in Switzerland.
where most of the chief German spies were
said to be attached duly to the legation, di-
rected by one Of its highest officials, now
equally high in the German government. The
Austrians played the same game.
One Spring Saturday evening, when heavy
air muffled everything including sounds, there
was a gay party in the house next door to
the Austrian consulate in zurcih. There was
dancing and singing. great racket broadcast
about the neighborhood through doors and
windows wide open
1t was an allied party, French, British Ital-
1ans, civil and military. When from the dark.
ohCiik CoiSuidUe HexC door the Stralnlng ears
OF some merrymakerS heard rude sounds a
mufied explosion, hastily they redoubled the
d1n It lasted well into the morning
Ihere was louder noise when the Aus
TRAN consulate opened on Monday. Some
one had forced way in, blown the safe and
got away with valuable papers.
What was the nature of the papers, asked
the Swiss police
Why very confidential, the Austrians re-
plled-but very valuable. If ever they got
across the frontier into France or Italv we
tremble to think what might happen. We
Insist that you question every one known to be
connected with allied intelligence work in
Switzerland
large order, but the Swiss police tried.
Every one said: why. was at the party next
door, and never left it." ~Or else: IT was at
a party the Americans gave that night Ask
tnern. IheyH back me up And Of course
they did
I daWned upon the enemy that the Ameri-
cans were not quite so innocent as they
mad supposed. They looked a little more
closely into what the Americans were doing
ana became interested in certain midnight
automobile rides that one was taking tn the
1tallan frontier, perhaps to deliver Informal
ton received from agents. They found an
other getting up at in the morning to take
railroad trips, on which he seemed to meet
some rather nondescript individuals one of
whom once made the mistake of saluting as
they met.
One night the automobiles drove his dar,,
car Tor the Italian frontier, whizzing over
1amliiar ROADS. He approached particularly
dangerous turn, on one side bushy slope, on