SPIES ACTIVE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 926, 22 November 1933, Page 1

SPIES ACTIVE.

London is Resort of Agents. PARIS, November 14. Spy-hunting promises tq become a popular sport in the near future. Most European nations are suffering from war fears, while London is honeycombed with branches of organisations which are outlawed in their own countries, and harbours a small army of men and women seeking to discover military and naval secrets. They are constantly being detected in their nefarious activities, and deported without public action being taken. Nearly every European capital has been excited lately by the discovery of people engaged in espionage. Since France completed her eastern frontier line of fortifications, dozens of foreigners, the majority of them German fanatics, have been captured when wandering about with tiny cameras, studying the whole terrain. As a result, suspicious characters are now arrested on sight, and are not released until they prove their bona fides. In most instances, the most capable trained military men have staffs of spies, who appear to be quiet, worthy citizens, or oafish peasants. Always they understand that their country will not do anything to help them in the event of their detention. The most dramatic recent case was that of a young Frenchman who, during his term of compulsory service, photographed the French Alpine fortifications and sold them to Italians at Turin for 20,000 lire. Afterwards he sought admission to the French counter-espionage service, which was granted. This enabled Paris finally to convict him of selling to adjoining countries false information, which was purposely placed in his possession.