 neutral ground, breeding ground for spies and provocateurs, where intrigue and international plotting are nothing more than polite dinner conversation. And American agent John McDermott is very good at polite dinner conversation. McDermott is operating undercover as manager of an American oil company office abroad. His personality and appearance are perfect for the job. I don't know that well at least. I had to steer the whole thing through. You know she's very long with you. Charming's good. Oh, Heinrich, glad to see you. I'd like you to meet some friends of mine, Mr. Thayer, Mr. Pyle, Mr. McDermott. How do you do? Mr. Richter. Mr. Richter's with the Europa Optical Company in Syring. Okay. The operating in a neutral country calls for more than the social graces. Tonight, for instance, John McDermott leaves on a special mission in another town. Hi, Margo. Come over here. Johnny, I can't stay a minute. I just dropped over to give you this by way of wishing you many happy returns. Oh, you shouldn't have bothered. Oh, don't be silly. When we get to New York, I'll give you a real birthday, okay? Listen, right now I've got to run. Can't you stay for a cocktail? I still have time for the train leave. Sorry, some other time. Thanks. Listen, have a good trip, and I'll see you Monday, huh? Okay, I'll call you as soon as I get back. Okay. Goodbye, honey. Goodbye. An important birthday present with many happy returns. This is vital material. Chemical formula photographed on microfilm. Instructions on the preparation of the chemical. And an actual sample of the chemical itself. But because it's secret business, it will have to wait in a secret place. MacDermot knows that whenever possible, he should hide material outside his apartment, where its discovery would not incriminate him. But there's a train to make now. There's no time. Three objects to hide. Three separate hiding places required, just to make it tougher. A few minutes to do the job. Work that calls for imagination. Quickly improvised, easily accessible places are good for hiding secret material. This is not sleight of hand nor is MacDermot a magician. Only an experienced agent who knows that the same security measures apply in this neutral territory as an actual enemy area. To the well-trained agent, traps are a vital point on the espionage agenda. They may be quickly improvised, and to the man in the field, setting them soon becomes a reflex action. If a certain word in that letter is not flush against the envelope when he returns, then MacDermot will know some whom the agent forgot to watch his peas and cues. The toothpick has a new function in the agent's book. In the intriguing game of hide and seek, this is a good way of knowing whether the enemy suspects you and seeks what you hide. Operator. Operator. Auzant 5A3. Hello, is this your grouper? Richter here. I have just met a certain gentleman named Joan MacDermot. M-C-D-E-R-M-O-T-T. Munder a arm. Will you arrange an interview, please? Yeah. Just John McDermott going about his banking. He finances himself for this mission from his own private bank under a tombstone. Large amounts of money create suspicion, if found on your person or in your apartment. They should be hidden outdoors, in public places whenever possible. There are several rules which every agent, even a mediocre one, should follow in a house search. Our friend here, Richter, has forgotten a few. In a surreptitious search, the agent should never disturb anything, no matter how insignificant. He should never damage a lock. It's equivalent to leaving a calling car. In this game, haste makes waste which he may pay for with his life. He must learn to distinguish between important and unimportant material. Above all, he must be aware of traps. Unless the agent is rushed for time, he should never make a superficial search. That's all most worse than no search at all, since he runs the risk of being uncovered without uncovering anything. Hi, Margo. Yeah, I just got back. I think we've got that contract if we want it. Yeah, I'm happy about it, too. Hey, would you be interested in a rare edition of Plato's Republic at five bucks? Good. I'll bring it along when I see you. Okay. Goodbye now. The first thing I noticed was that sprung trap, and I thought you might have some idea about the critter of what sprung it. The town's loaded with critters, but that sounds like a new species. The only new species I know is a guy named Heinrich Richter, you know him? Richter? Sure, works with some Swiss optical company. That's the guy. Well, you're out of town. We picked up some more dope ones. Look, get me Henderson and Stuart and I'll go with this Richter's room. Okay, he's at the hotel metropole, room 317. But first, McDermott will make sure he finds Richter out. The infantry calls it reconnaissance. The agent calls it casing the joint. In this business, every house search begins with a reconnaissance. To deal with the enemy, you must first know your enemy. An agent is posted in such a position that he can warn McDermott in case Richter returns unexpectedly To avoid searching something twice while another item goes unnoticed, the room is divided into two zones, one for each agent. The way these zones are covered marks the difference between a good search, such as this one, and a futile one such as Richter's. Here, everything, no matter how innocent it may appear, is carefully examined. If the agent takes anything at its face value, then chances are it's the agent who will be taken. The articles which seem solid deserve special attention. When it is necessary to disturb any arrangement of articles, special care must be taken to replace them in the same position. A piece of paper, a ruler, or even a book may be used as a straight edge in measuring between items. Be on guard against traps. Don't liquidate yourself by selling the enemy short. The fake panels exist only in the minds of fiction writers. But wherever you find the enemy, you'll probably find something like this. With the knowledge of what's in Richter's hands, McDermott is now complete master of the situation. He can alter his plans or his plots wherever necessary. We got a load of this. German jail on house breaking charge. Heinrich Richter, 37, German national who gave his address as a hotel metropole, was sentenced to two years imprisonment today after federal court found him guilty of nine charges of house breaking. Richter was apprehended in the act of entering a hotel room occupied by a prominent member of the British diplomatic corps. The police said they were informed of his criminal record by an anonymous telephone call last week. Anonymous?