SECRETS OF THE AIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 36, 12 February 1924, Page 5

SECRETS OF THE AIR.

PLANS STOLEN AT NIEUPORT. LOVELY RUSSIAN SPT. AND LOYAL EMPLOYEE. (By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright.) (Received 10.30 a.m.) PARIS, February 11. Arrests of people believed to be concerned in the theft of French aeroplane secrets are due to the disclosures made by a young engineer at the Nieuport works, who allowed himself apparently to become entangled with a young and beautiful Russian lady, whom he met regularly in a tramcar going to work. Imagining him to be completely fascinated, she attempted to secure plans of the Nieuport engines. He thereupon revealed the conspiracy to the police. For some months French firms have known that their latest improvements were being stolen, apparently at the instance of foreign competitors whose agents were at Nieuport, but they only discovered the source of the leakage when a draughtsman employed at the works was recently asked to sell his firm's secrets. The draughtsman pretended to agree, but instead he told his firm. Thus a French engineer named Thivat, employed at the Breguet works, was arrested with Kurtz, his Russian sweetheart, who had been a typist at the Rreguet works. The arrests are likely to lead to the expulsion of many foreign undesirables, especially Russian: — ( A. and N.Z. Cable.)