From Christiana I went to Trondhjem and later to Hell, both seaports
on fjords with deep harbors. At both these places I found spies of the
allies on the same mission as those at Christiana, but in addition also
agents friendly to Russia who were counteracting the rising feeling
against the czar and his alleged desire to annex northern Sweden and
Norway, to secure an outlet through an open port on the Atlantic.
On my second day at Trondhjem, shortly after leaving the Grand Hotel,
I met Mr. Solomon Lankelinsky, a Hebrew merchant, from whom I learned
much of the Russian agents who were working to influence sentiment. In
fact I had met many Jews and all with whom I came in contact expressed
themselves anti-Russian.
At this time the campaign at the Dardanelles was in full swing, which
the czar expected would be forced by the British and French, after
which Constantinople would be captured and the whole region annexed
to Russia to connect her commercially with the Mediterranean. Several
secret agents of Russia I met here and at Hell made this solution in
the near East the theme of conversation and promulgated discussion
by publishing articles regarding it in the newspapers. It appeared
singular that these secret agents, although acting for Russia,
conversed almost entirely in the German language, which tongue is
spoken extensively in Warsaw and many large cities of Russia.
In the Swedish capital, the city of Stockholm, the secret service men
likewise were abundant. They were active in the lobbies of the Grand,
the Continental and the Central hotels. I met them in the city and in
the suburbs, everywhere busy as bees. Here the work of spies was not so
much concerned with commerce as with the study and direction of public
sentiment, for which purpose they wrote for newspapers both in Sweden
and in their own countries.
This was before the movement for conscription had made much progress in
England, and the British were endeavoring in vain to induce men to join
the army. One of the English secret agents showed me a poster that was
being used to enlist the support of the women, thinking they would lend
a hand to induce their husbands, sons or sweethearts to go to war.