WIRELESS IN COFFIN

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXII, Issue 17, 4 March 1941, Page 1

WIRELESS IN COFFIN

HUSBAND'S GRIEF MASKS ESPIONAGE Vincento Caivalo was a muchrespected architect. Although an Italian, he lived and worked in Greece, marrying a pretty girl of that country. For years he lived contented and happy at Piraeus; then came, tragedy—his wife died. Stricken with grief, the Italian architect decided to build a church in memory of his wife, and so out in the country, close to the Greek naval arsenal, the little church was built. He would visit it and stay for hours, kneeling—so he told friends —by the side of the coffin which contained his lost love. One morning, pausing over their instruments, members of the Greek police picked up a message being transmitted in code. "You might i take it down," the senior officer said j to the operator, and when the message was completed an expert was called in to decipher it. An hour later, when he reported to the senior officer, his expression was very serious. Apparently the message contained vital and secret information relating to the Greek Navy—information which would prove valuable to a hostile neighbour.

By careful calculation the police were able to locate the position from which the message had been transmitted, so a party of officials went along to investigate. On arriving at the spot they found that a small church was the only place in view. The job of these officials was to be suspicious, so they, decided to explore the church. When the coffin containing the dead woman was reached, they all hesitated, but one young man, more forceful than the rest, stepped forward and quickly ripped off the lid. Instead of the still, white face of a dead woman, a wireless transmitter was revealed. Investigations followed and Vicento Caivalo was arrested. Later he was revealed as the leader of the Italian Secret Service in Greece.