Dear Mr Z,
A quick note to say how things are going. – I have found a room here, but it costs me 29dr per day with breakfast. At noon I eat here; in the evening in town. I have, first, got to know the two representatives of the Continental Daily Mail, Mr Elephlheroudakis and Vafradis.
I have obtained from them a letter of introduction to Mr Bronnaire, director of “Progrès”.
This man has been charming, he introduced me to the foreign press club and is going to call the other foreign journalists of Athens to introduce me. I have offered him lunch.
Then he introduced me to Mr Exinderis, director of the press office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I had tea with this gentleman and he’s going, tomorrow or the day after, to introduce me to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
It is certain that being in this hotel made all of this easier for me. I have even met Mr Kalapotakis, correspondent of the Morning Post and secretary at the American Consulate.
I invited Mr Exinderis to have lunch with me tomorrow. I hope you approve of this.
I am going to be introduced to Mr Butler, I was advised to offer him some whisky.
Mr Maurogodato is at the moment in Faliro, I will be introduced to him on his return.
As for Captain T…, affairs are on the right track. It is hard to see him at the hotel because he is at Piraeus almost all day. I have met his entourage and hope to be introduced to him tomorrow or the day after. He often comes to the hotel for 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. He is a great lover of chess and I’ll play with him.
Here at the hotel I am slowly meeting everyone.
So here I am, officially introduced into the press corps.
I have permission to go when I want, into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get information.
Now, another thing, I met here a man who I considered a German agent who was in Switzerland. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name. He says himself that he is an Argentinean navy captain. He arrived in Switzerland from Germany and tried several times to join the French and American navies. Each time he was refused entry into France.
He, if my memory is correct, made proposals to 2 Lausanne women to go to France.
I have seen here that man going out twice
from the Pantheon Hotel,
Here is his description:
Aged 40 years, size 1m80, broad shoulders, strong appearance, black hair, completely shaved, 2 days beard, broad face. Always wearing (even in Switzerland) big black glasses. Always dressed in the same way as follows: big brimmed black felt hat, black jacket, grey trousers.
His complete file is in Ponté.
It would be interesting to know how that man came here.
If you are satisfied with the way my business is going, I pray you send a card without any view, without signing it or writing. I will know what it means and I will continue in that way.
Yours sincerely
020
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As in Switzerland though, there were still some amateurish touches to the intelligence work. 020 delivered this note by hand to Redmond’s flat, but was forced to send another a few days later asking Redmond to look for the first note as he thought he’d posted through the door of the wrong flat!
Redmond continued his work in Athens right through the autumn of 1918, and although he would have anticipated the end of the war before too long, the speed of the armistice on November 11th would have come as a welcome surprise. The only thing that remained was discharge and a return to civilian life. Redmond’s service record shows he was discharged on the 10th January 1919 but that it was post-dated to the 23rd. Following his discharge Redmond remained in France, living for several years in Nice before moving to his final residence at Digne.
Redmond Barton Cafferata - Notes
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