Evening star., 1934-09-06
Zaharoff, "The Man of Mystery," Is Less
Of Mystery in Near East Than in Europe
Wire Fuller in Munitions
Deals Once Worked for
Money Changer.
Waited Many Years to
Marry Spanish Duchess
He Loved as Youth.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

bf CUNSIANIlNE bhOWN.
Sir Basil Zaharoff, the power be-
hind the throne and chief wire puller
in all international ammunition deals,
is less Of a mystery man in the Near
East than in the western countries.
The place of his birth is uncertain.
1t is believed that he was born in
1S49 in a suburb Of Odessa, where
there was at that time an important
Greco Russian colony.
Little is known Of his early youth,
but he was in Constantinople when
he reached the age of 16.
At the age of IS, he was working
for a Constantinople "zaraff." The
zaraffs were Levantine money changers
who made handsome profits by ex-
changing gold pieces equivalent to IS,
or silver pieces equivalent to 81, into
nickel or copper currency. These
banks" were situated in side alleys
or in doorways and part OF the capital
was kept in a glass case.
Zaharoff got into trouble with his
employer, who had learned to trust
him. One morning he disappeared
from Constantinople with part OF
the funds of the bank" some $4,000,
it has been said.
Lands in Filthy Jail.
He got on a boat and went to
Athens. There Greek met Greek"
and it was not long before he had
his wires crossed with the local au-
thorities and landed in q filthy Athens
Jail. He had money on him-good
shiny gold. Before Zaharoff went to
trial, the prisoner in the adjoining cell
died. Zaharoff bribed his jailers and
induced them to put the corpse OF
the other prisoner in his own cell,
while he was spirited away at night
TO be buried.
He got on q boat and went to
Italy, thence to France. From Paris
he went to Spain, where he expected
to find q larger field for his activities.
Zaharoff was at that time a hand
some young man. On his way to
Spain he met very attractive lady
belonging to the highest Spanish no.
bility, the Duchess of Marchena, the
wife of a grandee and closely re-
lated to the royal court. They fell
in love with each other. The duchess
was attracted not only by the good
looks of the young Laventine. but
also by his sparkling intelligence.
Aided by Circumstances.
She promised to help Zaharoff to
carve himself a brilliant career in
Spain and circumstances helped them
both.
At that time, the British COM
pany of Vickers, Ltd, was striving to
gain the control over the Bilbao cop
per mines. The usual methods, dis
closed at the Nye investigation, were
used, but with little success.
Through the influence of the
duchess, Zaharoff obtained an option
on that important concession and
with that in his pocket, he went 10
see the representative of Vickers. The
representative jumped at it and
thinking that he had to deal with
young upstart, offered Zaharoff
substantial sum for that option. Ia
haroff was q man of vision. He in
sisted that, in addition to the lash
payment, he should be given a num-
Der of shares in the British company.
This was done and Zaharoff started
on career which was to make him
one Of the wealthiest men in the
world and the high mogul of the
armament industry.
agreed Not to Bomb Plants.
It is he, it is said, who conceived
the idea Of interlinking the impor-
tant ammunition and arms industries
of Europe and gradually he become
an important shareholder of the
French, German and Austrian arms
factories, dividing territories, obtain
ing exclusive concessions and working
the arms racket" for all that it Was
worth. When the vital interests of
countries were at stake during the
war, there was definite agreement
that the air fleets of the combalant
nations could lombard and destroy
cities, universities and churches-but
never arms factories or districts con-
tanning the raw material for he
manufacture of arms and ammuni-
tions. And his power with the ,ari-
GUS governments was such that all the
fighting nations lived up to his
"gentleman's agreement"
How much money he has made no
body knows exactly, but it is certain
that he is worth hundreds of millions
of dollars. He owns a whole street IN
the most central part of London, near