The Coral Crown
Written by
William Le Queux
Copyright 1916
First published in the UK magazine called The Royal Magazine #214, August 1916. Collected in .
The question asked by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was whether "she will ever divulge the secret". Donovan was certain she would and is given carte blanche to get it to happen. The she was Countess Erna Eberhorst and the secret had to do with the secret intentions of the Austrian government. The method chosen by Donavan used some very dangerous blackmail deep inside enemy territory.