Evening star., 1941-08-11

was tall, rangy and wore overshoes,
though it was almost May. There
were the marks of teeth on both
sides of his beautiful nose. I chose
to think dog had done 1t.
There was quite gathering-the
Herr Kriegscrat from lie Creusot and
three other officers hadn't seen
before.
Dog-bite led off, reading a sum-
mons from the Procureur de la Re
publique in which M. Allen was
called upon to reveal his part in
the theft from the French police
of documents affecting the Sc
curity of the state"
Dog-bite then went on to inform
me that one Georges Vikar, Hun
garian journalist, aged 20, and two
of the French Surete
had been arrested in Vichy, accused
of stealing material from the Surete
file on Communist and Gaullist
propaganda-'reports of a highly
secret and confidential character"
which, according to Vikar's confess
sion, had been shown to M. Allen
and photostats thereof left with
him.
Then it all came back to me.
Late in February a famished little
citizen, who had worked vaguely
for Paris-Soir, asked me for work.
During our conversation it de-
veloped that he could find me ex-
amples of Gaullist, Communist and
other propaganda which I had tried
without success to obtain from the
Ministry of Interior. The French
press in the free zone was rabid
on the Communist menace" while
until the attack on Russia Com
the occupied zone), but for some
reason this correspondent could
never get the police to give him
any details on the menace.
Vikar gave me a sheaf of Gaullist
leaflets and Communist handouts,
including the microscopic clam
destine edition of L LHumanite. organ
of the French Communist party.
There were also several reports
marked secret and confidential'
on Gaullist and Communist activi-
ties which were then most dis
similar.
Vikar said I couldn't have the
stuff but offered to copy it all.
suggested photostating. The "se-
cret and confidential" reports did
not, however, seem very exciting
When he brought me the photostats
I threw them in my suitcase with
my other papers and forgot them.
Dog-bite summoned me to ex-
plain. did as well as I could
against his constant badgering. He
was throwing his weight around to
impress the Germans. Very tough
he was. I said I had hired no one
to steal documents from the police,
had suborned no officials Tin fact
had paid Vikar the handsome sum
Of $l2 for his work. and I did not
think documents affecting the Sc
curitv of the state" were left around
where underlings could hand them
to 20-year-old Hungarian journal
lists.
Here my handsome Nazi, whom
we will call Swivel-eye for accuracy,
went into action.
"Infantile, Herr Allen, infantile !
Whom do you expect to believe such
tales? Is 1t a common thing in
America for newspapermen to get
hold of official documents?"
My answer was, yes"
Then Dog-bite, pointing an ac-
cusing finger at me, snarled, very
pretty, very pretty. Monsieur Allen
lays hold of secret documents on
March l and on March hot-foots
it across the line for Paris. To whom
did you hand them over in Paris?"
Curiosity Aroused.
I was curious to know what rea-
sons they might give for an Ameri-
can newspaper man carrying such
documents across the demarcation
line into occupied France.
Swivel-eye brought his face ur
close to me and fixed that one
enormous mobile eye into mine like
spotlight. I had a feeling that
hypnotic effects were Immediately tc
set in. But nothing special hap
pened. He said, That's what we
are here to find out"
I said that had I wanted to hand
over to the Russians police reports
on Russian activity I could have
done 50 inasmuch as my hotel In
Vichy was chock full with Soviet
Embassy people, none of whom
had the honor to know, however
And as for the report on Gaullist
activity I knew Gaullists who were
better informed about their own
activity than the police seemed tc
be, judging from these reports. In
Paris had no connections at all.
Dog bite said, Where did you stay
in PARISH I have followed your trail
for two weeks. I can't find Out
where you slept"
refused to tell him, saying that
even the Germans had not insisted
on that point. He grew violent.
Swivel-eye then drew up and
focused his lamp on me.
II warn you that you are in q bao
spot and If you do not answer my
French colleague truthfully you vii.
regret it"
I admit that I was bothered but
watching the faces Of the oficers ol
the military tribunal, I got the i'm.
preston that they were as bewild.
ered % I and . little embarrassed