he deemed it expedient to hand
over a "child's drawing and incorrect details." It is satisfactory to
find that he thought of adopting the exact course which I had proposed
when originally putting forward the request on behalf of the Russians.

That reminds me of a droll incident that occurred in connection with a
Russian delegate quite early in the war. We had no clear understanding
with our Allies at that date with regard to the allocation of material
between us, nor as to the imperative necessity of preventing anything
in the shape of competition in the British markets amongst us
partners. The War Office had a certain article in mind that was being
produced somewhere up north--at Manchester, I think, but anyway we
will call it Manchester. The Russians happened to be after the same
thing, and, without our knowing it, one of their officers who was in
this country was about to enter into negotiations with the people up
north with a view to securing it, and in due course he proceeded to
Manchester with the purchase in view. But he was of an inquisitive
disposition; he managed to get into some place or other to which he
did not possess the entree. So, being a foreigner, he was promptly run
in, and he spent about twenty-four hours incarcerated in some lock-up
before he could establish his credentials. During that very
twenty-four hours a representative of the War Office appeared in
Manchester and snapped up what the captive was after.

The Russian Military Attache came to the War Office to enter a strong
protest at the outrage of which his brother officer had been the
victim. He evidently meant to kick up no end of a row, and he had just
got into his stride and was going strong and well, when he suddenly
went off into a tempest of giggles. He saw the humour of the
situation. He was fully persuaded that we had deliberately arrested
his friend so as to get him out of the way while we managed to push
the deal through ourselves, and he evidently gave us gratifying credit
for being so wide-awake. It was not the slightest use our explaining
that this was one of those coincidences in real life which are
stranger than fiction, that we had been wholly unaware that the
Russian officer was even thinking about the article that we had
secured, that we knew nothing whatever about him or his adventures.
The Military Attache was politeness itself; but he evidently did not
believe a word we said--who, under the circumstances, would? Still