The Washington times., 1937-12-21

things were looking none 100
we. of the Secret Phalanx, w
useful information.
Switzerland had been wise all the
time to what had been going or
in her midst. Unlike Holland
which adopted the policy of leav
ing secret services alone, so long
as they did not harm the country
Switzerland had objected from the
very outset to the secret activities
of all the agents operating on her
territory and had already spent
hectic three and a half years hunt
ing them and putting them behind
bars, or Geporting them summarily
That Spring, with the secret &C
tivities being intensified to the
pitch of foolhardiness, wit h a
shortage of food staring her in the
face, Switzerland decided on final
drastic measures to get rid of the
unWelcome guests and threw a
dragnet all over the country to
gather them in.
POLITE REQUEST
Briefly: All those who could not
give satisfactory reasons for pro
longing their stay in the Helvetic
republic, were closely questioned
by the police and asked-politely
at first-to leave for their native
shores-official reason: T e in
creasing shortage of supplies made
1t imperative to get rid OF all "un-
necessary months"
I came under that category. I
had no valid reason for being
there at all. My health? Why, if it
was a matter of health, the police
argued, why had I chosen Berne
of all places, with its inclement
climate and hectic life? Surely, a
sanatorium was the place for me.
My doctor-a bona fide medico,
who did not know that he was be-
ing used as a screen, argued feebly
that he wished to keep me under
his eye, but had to admit at long
last that a Sanatorium would in
deed be beneficial, what with my
highly nervous state, chronic loss
Of weight and other disquieting
symptoms.
1t was a deadlock and I was
given my choice: A sanatorium, St.
Moritz or Leysins. or else A
sanatorium was out of the ques-
ton.
1t would have meant withdraw
Ing from the work. "Or else"
meant going back to France, or
England, or anywhere and would
also have spelt defeat.
Consulted, Clemenceau was en-
phatic: do whatever you like.
but stay at your post" Just like
that. Short of characterization
and remaining at my post as "the
invisible spy" there seemed no
way out of the impasse. And the
police were obdurate. I was "an
unnecessary mouth" and I had
to go.
I parried and fenced. Went
through gruelling grilling after
gruelling grilling; argued; pre-
varicated; advanced the most OBJ
vious reasons why I could not go
hack To this country or that. All
to no avail.
The various embassies, some
out of necessity and personal in
terest. others just because they
wished to serve me, wrote me re-
gretful letters, pointing out that
a visa for their respective coun.
tries was unavailable on some
flimsy pretext or other.
KEEN LOGIC
The German embassy was
gravely of the opinion that "the
securing of a visa might take
months" thinking this was a
stroke Of genius.
Whereupon the police pointed
out dispassionately and with un-
answerable logic that I had al
ready been in ermany two
years previously and that, so far
as they knew, it had not taken
months to secure my visa.
They furthermore pointed out
that, since that time. I had be-
come an almost daily visitor at
the embassy and that there was
every reason to suppose that I
was persona grata there. The in
ference was obvious.
We argued in circles. Embassies
and private individuals took sides.
My friends became frantic and
loudly abusive on the matter of the
Swiss police, which did not exactly
help matters.
Paris alone remained unmoved
and pointed out, calmly and coldly
that: There was nobody to take
my place-that such background
and connections as I had could
not be manufactured overnight
that the moment was too impor
tant to risk a disruption Of my
service - finally, tn a t, happer
what may, must stay at my post
The police we're equally obdurate
On the morning of June 2, I was
notified that I had just 48 hour!
to leave the country. otherwise
would be duly deported, under
escort, to the nearest frontier
viz. to France.
Everything having failed, I wen
to bed on that fateful day, in {
state of nerves bordering on in
sanity. There was no doubt in my
mind but that l had. somehow, Il