Harum-Scarum

In Ankara, Turkey's diplomatic break with Germany closed one of the country's biggest businesses--the $1,000,000-a-month Nazi Near East espionage system.

At Izmir, departing German diplomats burned so many papers that they set fire to the consulate. As the Germans had locked themselves in for privacy, the firemen found themselves locked out. Ankara's swank Karpic Restaurant was the scene of an embarrassing incident. Just as slick German Ambassador (and Spy-Master) Franz von Papen entered, the orchestra was beating out Pistol Packin-Mama. With truly Turkish tact, it slid with few fumbles into the Merry Widow Waltz.

Papen moved out of the Czechoslovak legation where he had lived for four years, went home. Within minutes his servants were knocking at other embassy doors, hunting jobs, and explaining that they would never act as German spies. Also making the rounds was Czech Representative Milos Hanak, explaining that now he hoped he would get his legation back.

The Turks arranged for five trains to carry out the departing Germans. At the end of three days they had only enough applicants to fill one sleeping car. The rest of the Herrenvolk preferred Turkish internment to the discomforts of home.

In Istanbul a friend of the Nazis was missing. Thomas Ludwig (or Lewine), Gestapo agent and "honorary Aryan," had a trap door in front of his desk which, in his heyday, he used to snap open by means of a concealed button. Said he: "In this work [spying] one must be prepared to spirit away undesirable elements without a trace." Last week Ludwig had vanished without a trace.

But Russian Secret Agents George Pavlov and Leonid Kornilov reappeared. They had been locked up in 1942 for trying to kill Ambassador von Papen.

Meanwhile Premier and Foreign Minister Suekrue Saracoglu announced: "The next step will depend on the attitude of the Germans." Turkey's action stiffened backbones in Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary. For the first time all three Nazi satellite Governments talked back to Berlin, refused to break off diplomatic relations with the Turks.

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