[FONT="]The democratic regime is the most aristocratic way of ruling. It is possible only to a rich nation.[/FONT]
[FONT="](Leon Trotsky)[/FONT]
[FONT="]Taking a passenger plane of the [/FONT][FONT="]Osmanlı Hava Hattı[/FONT][FONT="] from [/FONT][FONT="]İskele to Istanbul, and a direct train from the Ottoman capital to Vienna, it took the Wanderer less than thirty-six hours to arrive on German soil. Because he possessed a valid Ottoman passport no visa was required – and border checks proved to be mere formalities. His passport identified him as Aslan Düşünür, a private scholar from[/FONT][FONT="] Mağusa[/FONT][FONT="] on Kıbrıs. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Staying overnight in Vienna, Aslan Dü[/FONT][FONT="]şünür took the opportunity to attend a performance at the Vienna Court Opera; after all, such sophisticated cultural experience was not commonplace on [FONT="]Kıbrıs. Thankfully, Verdi’s Rigoletto was enacted, not one of the awful Wagner operas so popular in the Teutonic sphere.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT="]The next day, Düşünür boarded a train to Berlin. This was interesting: the direct line went across the territory of Czecho-Slovakia but there were no controls and the train did not stop, not even when passing Prague. A conductress explained that a transit agreement was in place between the German Empire and the Republic of Czecho-Slovakia providing high speed rail links between Bavaria and Austria in the south and Saxony and Prussia in the north, which crossed Czecho-Slovakian territory but were considered extra-territorial.[/FONT]
[FONT="]While Düşünür was enjoying lunch in a red Mitropa dining car, the combat behind the scenes had just begun. A Russian diplomat had recognised him on the platform in Vienna – and had rushed to the Russian consulate in order to alert the foreign division of the Okhrana to the fact that Leon Trotsky had just boarded a train to Berlin. This action in turn was monitored by agents of [/FONT][FONT="]Abteilung V[FONT="] of the Reichskriminalpolizei, who were keeping the Vienna consulate under close observation because it had been identified as Okhrana nodal point.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT="]At about the same time, the Seichl – having tapped into the Okhrana’s lines of communication – got the information as well. [/FONT]
[FONT="]From the German point of view, Düşünür/Trotsky was what his passport said: an innocent citizen of the Ottoman Empire, there were no juridical charges against him in Germany. – Abteilung V were quite surprised to learn that the Russians were out for his life when a telegram arrived from Bialystok warning of just that. It said that the Okhrana would stick at nothing for killing or capturing Düşünür/Trotsky; Okhrana hit squads would not refrain from killing innocents for getting the man dead or alive.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Having been appraised of the situation, Kurt Schumacher, the successor of Rosa Luxemburg as minister of the interior, ordered to take Düşünür/Trotsky from the train at Dresden, the first stop on Saxon soil, and to bring him to Berlin under Abteilung V custody. At the same time, alert measures were activated in Saxony and Prussia against attacks by terrorists. A note was cabled to Moscow: Leon Trotsky had been taken into German custody, no actions by Russian security services were necessary or welcome.[/FONT]
[FONT="]One hour later, Aslan Düşünür was in Berlin, having been hastily ushered into a police plane in Dresden. A convoy of Abteilung V vehicles took him to the Wilhelmstraße. Minister Schumacher welcomed him in his office.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Mister Trotsky, I suppose.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Well, yes, if you insist. – But I would appreciate to remain Düşünür sahip, if you don’t mind.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“No trouble at all. – The problem, however, is that the Russians don’t care for Düşünür sahip but have set out to kill or capture Leon Trotsky.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Yes, I know – quite a vindictive lot these people. – I hope you’ll be able to protect me.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Why have you come here?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I wanted to visit Rosa Luxemburg’s tomb – and to have a chat with Ruth Fischer.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]But then an official Russian application for extradition was delivered by the Russian ambassador. The Russian Empire charged Leon Trotsky with mass murder and treason and demanded that this criminal was handed over to the Russian authorities.[/FONT]