Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-19
By JAN VALTIN

Avatin arrived in Hamburg
late that night. He came
straight To my apartment on
the Schaarmarkt, and reused
Firelei. 1 was not home.
Firelei notified me of Avatin's
arrival. l FASTENED 10 meet
him.
l found Michel Avatin sunk
in an easy chair, slipping
coffee and looking over a
sheaf of drawings by Kaethe
Kollwitz. Twas much agitated
about Yang. Avatin's presence
ca med me Immediately.
Neither earthquake nor mass
murder could disturb him in
the least, il seemed.
He listened 10 the facts as
7 outlined them, asked a few
questions pertaining 10 COM
munication, then nod d C d.
brooded for a minute-and
got up.
Every well, comrade," he
said. I'm going to Oran."
The available time was
short. Yang would arrive in
Oran within four or five days.
But no one in all the Comm
tern had Avatin's reputation
of being able to travel the
greatest distance in the
shortest possible time and
with a minimum of effort and
noise.
A week of acute suspense
followed. 1 felt as If / were
waiting for my own reprieye
from execution. Finally
telegram arrived early one
morning.
"AII clear. M. Lambert"
Lambert" was one of Ava
tins cover names. ! was exu-
berant with JOY. Yang was
free,
Avatin flew from Hamburg
10 Amsterdam, from Amster-
dam TO Paris, from Paris 10
Marseilles. In Marseilles, he
conscripted the services OF a
tested Greek GPU agent
named Michael.
HIDE UNDER BOILERS
Together with Michael he
Travelled as stowaway to
Algiers, hiding under the
boilers of a Mediterranean
steamer. From Algiers. the
two proceeded by rail TO
Oran. There was an Inter
national Club in Oran. Avatin
modified the Harbor "ae--
twists" and the Communists
units among the lockers of
Oran.
When the ship on which
Yang was kept prisoner
arrived TO take o.. bunker
coal, Avatin was ready. He
and a group of his aides were
armed with axes and crow
bars.
ct was as simple rs steal
ing a horse" Michel Avatin
told me later. "Our Africans
have nerve. i went aboad tn
find out where Yang was hid
den. He was i'm a cabin way
below decks, handcuffed. Our
Africans stOrmed the ship and
set little fires.
"Wbile the Japs turned out
to extinguish them, my az
men broke the door and made
off with Comrade Yang. L
put him In a car and drove
out with him into the desert
till everything had quieted
down."
In the Soviet secret service
Avatin was an exceptional
figure. and immensely popu-
lar. He never remained be-
hind the lines while sending
his men into fire. He adj
vanced into danger with his
aides. leading them on.
One of Avatin's superiorS,
a lanky, taciturn and stony
faced Lett named Schmidt,
had arrived in Hamburg on a
special mission for the GPU.
His arrival was surrounded
by extraordinary mystery. In
stead of merely slipping into
the country with false papers,
he was Struggled ashore at
night from Soviet vessel.
Schmidt's compatriot, Michel
Avatin, came over from Ber-
lin TO meet him.
BLOW AT ESPIONAGE
Schmidt's mission had to do
with stamping out foreign
espionage within Soviet ranks.
His task was to deliver a blow
10 the misunderstanding. the
foreign division of the Nazi
Party.
Since no, one in the Comm
tern was better informed than
L on the Nazi doings in the
merchant marine, / was sum-
moned TO take part in the
conferences between Schmidt
and Avatin.