CITY OF SPIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23719, 27 July 1940, Page 7 (Supplement)

CITY OF SPIES

ONE result of the invasion of Holland was that Amsterdam ceased to be Europe's main centre of intrigue and espionage. Here, during the first eight months of the war, British, French, German, Russian and Italian agents were as numerous as Goering's •medals. Each group kept sharply to itself, and had its own recognised rendezvous. An American writer, Mr. Bernard Lansing, recently summarised the various agents thus:— German —crude and primitive; peer from behind newspapers, make signs to one another, stroll with affected nonchalence past English-speaking groups. British —typically British, even to the extent of botfler hats and umbrellas; make no attempt to hide their identity. French—most impressive of all; drive through streets in expensive cars, and confer in hotel lobbies with prosperouslooking Dutch business men. Russian and Italian—live in small hotels* and try. to slip, around unob-

served, by their very secrecy attracting more attention than even the cumbersome Germans.

The latter, lie snid, frequented tlio Victoria Hotel, and British journalists would sometimes take a rise out of them by sitting down in the lobby thoro and ostentatiously opening The Times. There was a spot of trouble in a popular Dutch restaurant one evening when Germans bullied tho orchestra leader into playing "Deutschland Über Alles." The tune was drowned by catcalls after the first few bars. Frenchmen then demanded that the "Marseillaise" be played to level things up. The orchestra leader Was unwilling, however, to start a fresh row.

Then an Englishman rescued him from his dilemma by requesting "Whistle While You Work." Gladly the Dutchman agreed to play this. With tho first notes every Briton roared lustily:— " Whistle while yon work. Ribbentrop's a twerp, Hitler's balmy, So's his army. Whistlo while you work." The Nazis had lost the day, after-all!