Military Secrecy

Here's another story that happened in my great-grandmother's life during the Second World War, and it's about irrepressible curiosity and its possible consequences.

When the war began, my great-grandfather Mitya was supposed to go to the front, but this didn't happen. On the day when the men lined up for instruction, a telegraph pole fell on my great-grandpa and his leg was severely damaged. So, he became unfit to serve on the front line. However, Mitya still had a chance to serve in the rear. He worked at the post office and was responsible for telegraph transmissions and telephone conversations, including secret ones. As you remember from the previous story, Manya also worked at the post office, but she was doing other things, and her activities didn't intersect with her husband's responsibilities.

It was the "disposition". Now, let's move on to the main events.

One day, Grandma (great) Manya came to my great-grandpa's work. I don't know what her reasons were for this. Maybe she brought food, came on official business or missed him. History is delicately silent about this.

The point is that during this visit, one military commander called another military commander, and the great-grandfather had to connect them. Which is what he did, retiring to a room specially designed for this. The story should have ended there, but Mitya didn't consider two consequential factors. First was the high level of curiosity of his wife. Second was a parallel telephone set, which he recklessly left alone with her.

Manya rampant wanted to know what the military commanders were talking about. This wasn't because she wanted to find out some secrets. Grandma (great) Manya didn't plan something sinister. She just had an inquisitive nature and was a woman who was thirsty for knowledge. So, Manya decided to participate in the conversation passively. She boldly picked up the handset of the parallel phone and brought it to her ear. The talk between the military commanders turned out to be boring. Manya listened to it for some time, not delving into the discussed problems. And then, she did something she shouldn't have done. She hung up.

Here's the thing. When you pick up the handset of a parallel device, no one knows about it except you. When you hang up earlier than other participants in the conversation, they hear a characteristic click and understand that someone is listening to them.

The scandal was enormous. The authorities immediately called my great-grandfather onto the carpet and demanded an explanation. They wanted to know why Mitya decided to eavesdrop on a secret telephone conversation.

The story would be funny if not for one thing. It happened in the USSR during Stalin's time. If my great-grandfather had told the truth, he could have been sent to prison or even executed. So he pretended to be a fool and a simpleton.

Firstly, he didn't admit to a single living soul that he wasn't alone during the incident. Secondly, he said that after he connected the military commanders, he discovered that the tube of the parallel apparatus didn't lay well and put it in place. At the end of his explanation, great-grandpa added that since he wasn't overhearing, he wasn't worried about anyone hearing the click.

Fortunately, great-grandfather Mitya was in good standing, and they believed him. In addition, the military commanders weren't of very high rank, and the conversation wasn't top-secret. In a word, my great-grandpa was lucky.

As for Grand (great) Manya, she didn't feel guilty. Years later, recalling this story, she said, "Your great-grandfather didn't let me speak to his authorities. And those two, by the way, didn't even talk about the war but about fishing. A military secrecy, just think!"