Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-28


exercising great patience, of
long periods of watchful wait
ing. but when he clearly saw
his course, he could act with
swith ruthless efficieny.
He was in charge OF our
courier network among the
rivermen of the Elbe, the
lower Rhine and the middle
German canals which connect
the Rhine and Elbe with the
Berlin area.
Upon his loyalty and his
momory rested the safety of
several hundred ship couriers
and other comrades engaged
in the secret transport APP
parat.
WIFE ARRESTED
Karl Burmeister's young
wife had been arrested as a
hostage. The Gestapo had an
nounced that they would hold
her until her man was in their
hands. 1t was he who had
succeeded in maneuvering a
number Of young Communists
into the Foreign Division Of
the Nazi Party.
BurmeiSter'S unit there did
excellent work. II furnished
us-and we relayed the in
formation to Copenhagen and
the GPU-the names of most
Gestapo operatives on German
merchant vessels. of Gestapo
liaison-men-in foreign ports.
and complete lists of Nazi sea-
men who had been trained in
photography and equippe
with cameras TO photograph
strategic strips of coastline
and every foreign harbor
entered by erman ships.
The last was a routine form
Of mass espionage which the
.Gestape- had-eepied- fromrttle
GPU.
Burmeister was curiously
sensitive, but fearless. He had
high sense of duty He was
like a good officer who is al
ways ready to strike out alone
behind the enemy lines 10
recruit his followers in enemy
country.
Once, laughing. he COM
pared himself with one of
those Jesuit emissaries who
carried out secret missions in
Elizabethan England.
BOLSTERED MORALE
"Only I wish we had as
easy a time as the Jesuits."
he remarked. He was a mas
ter in the art of bolstering the
morale of the shaken by i'm
parting 10 them the conviction
that our underground" or
ganization was much stronger
and better organized than it
could possibly be in reality.
Contacts. often lost by UNI
expected enemy interference.
were at times recovered by a
quirk Of circumstance. For
fortnight l had been hunting
for Otto K. the central liaison
man for our units aboard the
Hamburg America liners.
whom l had lost after a Ges-
tapo raid in the harbor.
searched doggedly for him,
without results. He had not
slept at his home for more
than half a year. His wife, a
flaxen-haired peasant girl. had
given birth 10 a son whom
Otto had never seen.
About 4 o'clock one morning.
after a hard nights work, |
sat brooding over a glass Of
beer in an outlying water
front tavern. The last GUS
toners were staggering out
and the walters were counting
their nights tips.
was weary. bordering
where l should go to snatch
a few hours of sleep, when a
broad-faced, thick-lipped girl
accosted me.
REMEMBERS HIM
What's the matter" she
said brusquely. you sit all
alone so long behind one
small glass Of beer"
II like It," j answered.
Besides, It's none of your
business"
II know you," said the girl.
"Kon me-"
At once 1 was alert. ready
to strike or escape. The girl
sat down beside me. clasping
her hands and leaning them
on my shoulder.
you are a sailor" she said.
you came I'm with an English
ship, oh-maybe nine years
ago. You came To Cafe Rhein-
gold and drank cherry brandy
with me. Plenty Of cherry
brandy. so funny. that's why
l remember. you"
"YOur name il Berta," l
said. you were a salesgirl."
Now my name Is Marie"
"Yes. What ship are you
on?"
II have no ship. It's tough
10 find ship nowadays"
Lets celebrate our meeting
again." she said.
"No, I'm tired--have no
money-no place to sleep"
That's too bad" she whis-
pered.