The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-05-24


Secret Service is but natural.
Said Otto, of the German EN-
bassy, to Heinrich of the same!
Our best bet must be Jose Gar
cha. l don't see anybody else we
can trust"
Heinrich objected. But do you
think the little fat man is clever
enough? Has he done it betore?"
"Oh, yes, he is clever as they
make them and he has done it
before. Nothing as important as
this time, but I am sure that we
may rely on him."
IF he gets searched on leaving
France, it is all up with the
scheme"
But that's just the point: he
won't get searched. His luggage,
naturally, but at both frontiers ne
is we'll known and he will be
spared personal search"
"Oh, he will, will hep" I said
viciously to myself, as I moved
lazily away from the big double
couch, sheltered behind high palm
trees in pots, where I had been
sitting back to back with the two
unsuspecting conspirators.
PROVING MY WORTH
If I could help it, the most
stringent personal search would be
carried out at the French frontier,
when Senior Jose Garcia returned
from his mysterious German-en-
gineered trip to Paris.
I crowed with pleasurable antici-
patton and I patted myself gen.
erously on the back. Once more I
was proving myself the invaluable
Secret Agent, always wide awake,
always on the spot, whose alert
eye and sharp ears nothing could
escape.
I made a good story of it and
stirred my colleagues Of the
French Embassy into frantic actlV-
ity. Overnight, the fat little Span
ish wine merchant became a fig
ure of Importance; the clever and
cunning spy whom none had hith-
erto suspecter was to be I'M
masked.
He was and I had better tell the
story in the words of the Paris
colleague who was detailed to con-
duct the momentous search at the
French border.
"You know" he told us later,
"that we could not get a line on
that little man while he stayed In
Paris. He went about his business
as usual, he did not meet any sus-
picious people, he behaved in such
On above-board and natural man
ner that we came to the conclu-
sion that he was far~cleverer than
we had ever given him credit for.
INNOCENCE SUSPICIOUS
ut was his innocence that was
most suspicious of all-only really
guilty people have the secret of
that transparent, I-would-never-
do anything against-the-law atti-
tude.
Il was detailed by the Deuxieme
Bureau to follow Garcia and to
supervise the search of his luggage
and his person. I was looking for
ward to it and rubbing my hands
with olee in advance.
There was, naturally, nothing
In his luggage. The time of secret
pockets and false bottoms in
trunks and suitcases is well past
all the frontier services are up to
the minute to all these little
lodges, so that this ceremony was
soon over and Garcia called to a
porter and ordered him to carry
the baggage to his compartment.
Then I swung into action
Pardon, Monster said, there
is still the little matter of per
Sonal search. Please to follow me,
HE was startled out of his
usual composure and his face
paled. How is that?' he tried to
buster. I am never submitted to
the indignity of a personal search.
/ am a peaceful and law-abiding
neutral engaged in an above-board
trade. It must be a mistake,
Monsieur
"'But it is no mistake, Mon
sieur.' I countered. There are new
regulations. Kindly follow me-
"'And if I refuse to Submit?'
He was clearly desperate and cast
frantic glances around, as though
hoping for some miraculous in
terVention.
~1 1rNynADMMrS